Dynasty Duel Academy
by Narcissus The Great
Summary: Set in the near future, an extreme sport known as "Dynasty Duels" has taken the world by storm. All across China, students are handpicked from the masses to dedicate their lives in training for the international pro-leagues. Follow in the footsteps of Zhao Yun as he embarks on a journey through the halls of the nation's most prestigious duel academy. (Rewrite - Current Chap. 8/13)
1. Battle of Fire & Ice!

The cool night autumn breeze brushed gently against Yun's fair skin as he casually strolled through the dirt paved streets of his hometown. Where he was often greeted by warm smiles and friendly nods, he was shown instead a certain deafening silence. It was strange; he thought to himself, that the streets would be so barren at such an hour. Seemingly commonplace, everyone would normally find themselves relaxed under the shining light of the stars spread delicately along the sky.

Eventually Yun came across an old man who rocked continuously back and forth in his chair. The antiquated scent of oak revealed that it had to be no less than a century old. It creaked loudly with each movement and appeared brittle as though it would soon break. Yun respectfully nodded in the old man's direction and continued walking. He was suddenly interrupted by a voice, one that was stern and raspy, a voice that could only belong to an old man.

"Huh?" The startled boy blankly responded as he turned around to face him once again. The man's wrinkly eyes squinted indignantly as his hawk-like gaze bore through the boy's skin.

"I said where are you going!?"

"N-Nowhere I guess…" Yun laughed nervously "I was just enjoying the night, sorry if I disturbed you"

Yun bowed his head apologetically. In truth, he wasn't really sure why this old man was getting so worked up over such a minor issue. He thought about running away, but he'd have to cross him again in order to get home – something he considered too shameful to bear.

"At this very moment, two fates are clashing with one another in an on-going battle of historical legacy!" The old man mysteriously alluded.

"What do you mean by that?"

"What do you see?" The old man proceeded to point his index finger upwards towards the clusters of stars that inhabit the space above the earth's lands.

"I see stars, I see the moon…" Yun craned his neck to take in the soothing wonder of a world blanketed by darkness.

He watched inquiringly as the man bent forward in his chair to grasp a sizeable clump of dirt. He shuffled the dirt about from one palm to the next. Then before long, the man extended the molded clump of dirt towards Yun. The boy gave the old man a quizzical look and thought he had lost his mind.

"What do you see in my hand?"

"Well…it's just dirt" Just what exactly was this man driving at?

"Right! These are the remains of the universe's legacy, which we ourselves are but a microcosmic part. Though everything we may do will eventually be forgotten when we cease to exist, our memories will be carried by the next generation"

"I see! So you're saying if I'm not around to carry on the legacy of others then their achievements in life will mean nothing when they die?"

"Perhaps you are wiser than I first took you for. Though for now there is somewhere you must be"

The old man chuckled softly to himself as he retreated into the confines of his modest little home on the street side. The young boy tapped the tip of his chin with a finger and pondered the meaning of the old man's last statement. He continued along the same road as previous though the gears in his mind turned more and more. Determined to shed light upon shrouded darkness, he searched from within himself to find the answers and solve this mysterious riddle. Time passed as a sequence of mere moments as Yun remained ever so perplexed.

"_Though for now there is somewhere you must be…"_

"_At this very moment, two fates are clashing with one another in an on-going battle of historical legacy…" _

A strong gust of wind picked up suddenly and blew in his way, it forcefully pushed the strands of his long, jet black hair sporadically in its path. He winced in discomfort and ducked his head down. He noticed that, clung desperately to his right leg, was a page of the local newspaper; it flapped loudly in protest. When Yun scanned the contents of the paper, he came across an ad for the Dynasty Duels Junior National Championship and suddenly he paused.

"That's right!"Yun made the sudden realization. Was this supposed to be the answer to the old man's riddle? No, perhaps it was matter of convenience. However, he began to wonder. Carried by the flow of curiosity, he chose to head to the town square where the event would be shown and find out once and for all.

As he crossed the border separating dirt road and layered cobblestone, immediately the buzz of an eager crowd reminded Yun that he had arrived at the town square. People of the town gathered in lively conversation as they marked their grounds with a blanket or a row of chairs for those who lived wealthier than others. Hundreds of people waited, they directed their attention to the massive screen that towered mightily over them all. It stood as the center for the town's entertainment.

The people here were simple though Yun respected this aspect of his neighbours. Their only escape from a world of labour came in the form of a massive screen mounted to a steel frame. However, for the moment it appeared the event had yet to begin…

"Exciting isn't it?" A soft voice proclaimed. A man no older than twenty years stood at Yun's side. Followed closely behind, he noted two rather large men with great, thick, dark beards stood on either side.

The way they seemed to simultaneously surround each other suggested they could have been very close friends. Though the first had a very long and elegant beard while the other sported a shorter, more rugged one, they maintained a regal presence that Yun was both awed and intimidated by.

"It will certainly be interesting" The boy nodded in agreement.

"The outcome of this duel will be entirely dependent on the tactics of the contestants" The man with the long beard suggested.

"Tactics?!" The man with the rugged beard scoffed. "It's the strongest one that always wins the fight!"

"What do you think?" The young man immediately turned to Yun.

"I think it will come down to the one who is more determined to win…" Yun's statement earned the silent approval of the three men who stood before him.

"It's starting!" Someone yelled from within the gathering crowd.

An overhead shot of a gigantic domed stadium appeared on the screen as people gasped in these moments of anticipation for the main event to start. People dressed in high-end fashion crowded like a herd of animals only a few steps outside the door. Along the perimeter, security guards blocked the entrances tightly, film crews swarmed in aggressively to get the best shots. Helicopters circled the sky like birds eyeing prey from afar.

Inside the arena too, every seat was filled. The flash of camera fire went off continuously. The people grew increasingly impatient yet never more excited to witness this undoubtedly remarkable spectacle before them. Without warning, all of the stadium lights are killed – everyone is left in the dark. Trepidation seeped into the souls of the game's onlookers as they are left with only the option to wait for what is next to come.

A single spotlight shines down at the very centre of attention. A large, rectangular, metallic surface rose through an opening in the floor. The announcer for the event, dressed to the nines in a jewel encrusted suit takes to the microphone in his hand. Rays of light reflected off his suit coloured the room in dazzling shades of red, blue, and green in such a manner beyond anything young Yun has ever imagined. Mouths are left agape while the dazzling light lured the people into euphoria.

"Ladies and gentlemen! All Dynasty Duel fans from around the country! It's time to get the final matchup of this tournament underway!"

The crowd rejoiced equally fervently as it was just introduced. All of the ceiling lights switched on as the stadium shone in an extravagant array. A current of passion and energy surged through Yun's very veins and his heart raced joyfully to the sounds of trumpets setting the stage for the grand duel.

"Who will reign supreme over the 150 middle school participants picked nationwide!? Now here come our contestants!" The announcer hyped up the crowd, they returned with ear deafening shouts.

Contestant number one approached the stage to a chorus of cheers. From head to toe, he was covered in a shiny metallic suit glazed an icy blue. At an instant, the media surrounded the stage as they aim to capture his every moment. His glare, equally as menacing as his ruthless grin, was directed to where his opponent would soon appear. Gripped firmly to his dual blades, he was certainly prepared to fight.

"Representing North China, contestant Cao Pi!"

His name brought about a large chorus of cheers from the audience. Even the people around Yun marvelled in the way which he occupied the center of attention. For him to have climbed to such heights in the dueling world, no doubt one's name would quickly be known.

Contestant number two then ascended the stage. He also wore a shiny metallic suit though his was tinged a bright red with a ferocious tiger embroiled onto the back. While his suit was the red to Cao Pi's blue, his eyes burned like a fire to Cao Pi's frozen expression. Pride, anger, and determination, he seemed to be the epitome of all of these. He grasped his tonfas confidently in each hand; he too was prepared to battle for the rights of a champion.

"Representing South China, contestant Sun Ce!" Once again, the audience payed the duelists their due respect.

The announcer gleefully gestured to the metallic suits which both duelists were wearing to address the audience and the viewer's accordingly.

"For those who are unfamiliar, each contestant is wearing a specialty battle suit that allows us to monitor their heart rates. Their suits are also connected to the metallic duel field below where the fight will be held. During the duel, every hit will be administered to our duelists through electrical currents that will travel through their bodies. The intensity of the current is dependent on the severity of the damage. If they're hit hard enough, or they are hit too often, the intensity of the electrical currents will knock them unconscious. In other words, the duelist who remains conscious wins!"

The audience cheered, some chanted the name Cao Pi and others chanted the name Sun Ce. Blue and red flags were waved competitively in the stands to motivate their fellow duelists to compete at the highest morale. Yun noted the fighting spirits of both duelists were at an all-time high with the fight nearing its starting point. It would certainly make for a competitive match between two clearly high rated duelists.

"Brother..." The man with the long beard turned to the young man beside Yun. "Who do you think will win?"

"Cao Pi is very good at using his ice elemental combo to immobilize his opponents and dealing damage while they are unable to defend. Sun Ce uses his relentless fire attacks to overwhelm his enemies with power…"

"Fire vs Ice, Sun Ce will win without a doubt" The man with the rugged beard confidently proclaimed.

"No, it won't be as simple as that…" Yun bluntly objected.

Cao Pi and Sun Ce stood on opposite ends of the duel ring. They entered their battle positions, poised to jump to the offensive the second the starting gong is hit. The moment has finally arrived, who was going to come out on top of the entire nation? The answer would soon be determined.

_GONG!_

Cao Pi and Sun Ce took to the initiative with a full frontal charge. Now within striking distance, Ce lunged forward. His tonfas, imbued with flames of passion, torpedoed towards his opponent at breakneck speeds.

"Blazing charge!" Ce yelled with enthusiasm. His body and his fiery tonfas moved as one.

Pi sensed the sudden charge and switched to a defensive position, thereby blocking the attack. Ce's initial movement had failed to take the advantage and subsequently forced him to recover his ground. He was then hit with several rapid slashes to the midsection and barrelled to the floor of the duel field. Upon his descent, Ce groaned in pain as the electrical currents coursed through his every limb.

"Aerial Charge Attack!" Pi soared into the air above Ce's sprawled body and moved in for the aerial charge attack. The pointed edge of his dual blades glistened in the stage light as they reached their downward momentum. Ce's eyes began to bulge out of his skull in knowing there is no way he could avoid Cao Pi's attack. The blade struck roughly on his chest, the electrocution intensified.

"Sun Ce is definitely in pain after that gruesome aerial charge attack! How will he respond?!" The ecstatic voice of the announcer loudly rang through the arena much to the crowd's delight.

"Did you really believe you could defeat ME?!" Cao Pi taunted his pained opponent. The arrogant grin on his face reinforced the lopsided flow of this match.

"Just you watch Cao Pi, I will defeat you!" Ce immediately scrambled to his feet. "Take this!"

Despite the early disadvantage, the fire still lingered in his eyes and victory remained on his mind. Yun couldn't help but feel as though the winner had not yet been decided. Ce rushed towards Pi once again. This time, he took to the air for his own aerial attack. Pi stood his ground at eyed Ce's movements carefully at a defensive position.

"Slashwave!" A blazing blue stream blasted from within Ce's fiery tonfas. It travelled diagonally into the path of Pi's ready blades to block the attack.

"Hmph! As expected of an amateur." Cao Pi muttered to himself. "In the face of the great me, your attacks are worthless!"

"Are you sure about that?" Ce replied with a satisfied grin as he landed perfectly behind his opponents back.

"What?!"

"You fell for my trap!"

He had used the slashwave to divert Cao Pi's defences to a frontal attack in order to prepare for a second, more powerful, attack combo behind where he would be exposed. A very solid plan, Yun thought to himself, which could possibly turn the tides of the duel in mere seconds! Now Sun Ce had a perfect opportunity to inflict damage.

"Tiger Stun Combo!" He led in for the counterattack, yet he swung wildly at nothing. Cao Pi appeared several feet away where he formerly stood.

It was performed so gracefully as if it were the work of a magician. Sun Ce did not understand how Cao Pi managed to avoid his sure-kill combo. Cao Pi was left unharmed; he chuckled evilly at the fright of his opponent. He watched the confidence drain from Ce's eyes as he transitioned from his predator's stance to the defensive instincts of small-fry prey.

"You're a hundred years too early to be facing me! EX: Azure Ice Storm!"

Cao Pi's blades, infused with the power of ice, covered Ce from head to toe in the frozen substance. With his remains being nothing but an ice block, Cao Pi moved for the finishing blow.

"Taste the bitterness of defeat. Become a stepping stone I walk on to the path of greatness, Musou Ranbu! GLACIER PIERCE!"

Cao Pi slammed the point of his swords into the ground to summon a large shard of ice that impaled Ce's body with the terrifying force of the coldest arctic winter. He then detached his other sword to slice a devastating cut through the midsection of the ice block. The electrical shock persisted within Ce's fragile body until his eyes fluttered to a close under the burden of insurmountable pain. The crowd chanted Cao Pi's name so it could echo throughout the stadium and everyone would remember the boy who easily won.

"The winner of the Dynasty Duels Junior National Championship is Cao Pi!" The announcer handed a large golden trophy to the winner.

Cao Pi posed with the trophy high above his head. He basked in the pride of being the nation's number one. The media surrounded him excitedly to get a few words from the newest champion. Meanwhile Zhao Yun and the others prepared to part ways as the people of the town moved to gather their belongings and head home.

"I can't believe Sun Ce actually lost!" The man with the rugged beard spoke in mild disappointment.

"It was a very exciting match nonetheless!" Yun replied.

"However, you could say it was Cao Pi's tactics that ensured his victory!" The long bearded man playfully reminded his friend with a hearty laugh in reference to their previous conversation.

"Grr, if that was me, the fight would have ended in my victory in only half the time!" His face turned shamefully red amidst the light teasing from the other bearded man of the group.

"By the way!" The young, beardless man turned to Yun with an outstretched hand. "I don't believe you have introduced yourself…"

"Ah! My name is Zhao Yun."

"It's been a pleasure Zhao Yun. I'm Liu Bei, these are my sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei" The young man gestured to the man with the long beard and the man with the rugged beard respectively. "I hope we meet again soon"

The two young men shook hands and bid each other farewell. There was something about those three which had intrigued Yun, in such a way he had never felt about anyone else before. He had a distinct feeling they would eventually cross paths once again – and he looked forward to when that time would come.


	2. A Warrior Appears!

At the crack of dawn, Yun entered into a large field of grass on the outskirts of his hometown. With him, he carried a large bag filled with gravel and a makeshift spear of sharpened forged steel attached to a long wooden carved pole. It had been just two months since the national championship. Already, rumours floated around the streets to claim that the nation's top-rated dueling academy would be travelling through the neighbouring city of Bei Ping in search of the next generation of worthy duelists. The word spread instantly, young teens everywhere rushed to the nearest weapon stores and began their training. Of course, Yun never forgot the excitement and exhilaration he felt as he watched Cao Pi and Sun Ce's duel. It seemed just like a spark followed by the ignition, something hidden in the depths of Yun's consciousness called for action.

Though it was only a single step in a much longer journey to come, with faith Yun proceeded into the excitement filled future ahead. He tightly secured the gravel bag to a sturdy, low-hanging branch and got into attacking position. Today's the day, he thought, he would definitely master the guard-breaking attack and use it to impress the academy representatives! His eyes lit up as he imagined the possibility…

_Zhao Yun confidently stared down his randomly chosen sparring partner. There was no possible way his opponent could defeat him, mainly due to the gaping difference in their skills. So he resorted to playing a defensive game and trying to stall the match. _

"_Heh, you're pretty strong kid…" His opponent snarled in irritation at his obvious disadvantage. "…But, if you can't break through my defences, there's no way you can defeat me!"_

"_That's why I intend to do just that!" _

"_W-What? That's impossible!" The opponent quivered in fear, unsure of what Yun was going to try next._

"_Guard break!" _

_Yun raised his spear, ready to strike. He wound up into his attack and rapidly swung at full momentum, the power of fire lit the way. Though his spear is little more than cheaply forged wood and steel, it sufficed to completely disarm his opponent and knock him to the ground. _

"_And the winner is, Zhao Yun! With that world-class performance, he will be accepted into the academy at once!" The academy's headmaster jubilantly announced for all to hear. _

_ Yun smiled and waved to the crowd of students who shouted and cheered continually in his honour as they welcomed him among their ranks…_

He returned to reality, stood in the same place as before. The bag swayed temptingly in the wind. First, he began by bending at the knees and spreading his feet slightly more than shoulder width apart – so to establish a low centre of gravity. Second, he gripped the pole end of the spear with his dominant hand closest to the head of the blade and aimed keenly toward his target.

"Alright!" The boy nodded his head. A short grin curled at his lips. His eyes gleaned with anticipation.

Now in position, he paused momentarily. Inhale…exhale…smoothly, he settled his breathing pattern into a steady rhythm. In a swift, slashing motion, he drove the tip of his spear into the exterior fabric of the bag. Before he could register what exactly happened next, the spear halted on the opposite side. A gaping wound spread horizontally down what was roughly the centre point of the bag. Gravel flooded out the bottom of the deflated bag in a rapid downpour, the results were evident.

"Good! I'm now ready for the academy entrance exams" Yun rejoiced to himself in satisfaction. He finished the remainder of his practice exercises and packed up to attend the entry examination.

The trek to the city took hours for the people of the northern countryside who often had to walk the entire distance. Today however, Yun was lost in his thoughts, and so the time that passed on his way felt like a distant memory as he finally made it to the city.

He stood on top of a hill at the very end of the city's outskirts. He took in the view of the massive congregation of skyscrapers in competition with one another to reach the heights of space itself. There were massive billboards that hung on the side of each skyscraper that displayed advertisements in an entrancing selection of bright neon colours. Even from here, he could listen to the constant horn sounding and the emergency sirens of a city in its daily routine. Further into the city's core, Yun navigated through the packed sidewalks and the terribly busy roads where only the hurried could get by. An older, brick layered building in the downtown area marked the end of his trip as he arrived at the Bei Ping Rec Centre.

It was precisely noon when Yun arrived on the scene. He entered a line of eager participants that stretched around the block. The blazing summer sun scorched down upon his head as he waited. The horrid conditions caused profuse sweating amongst the other people in line as some resorted to downing consecutive bottles of water in order to stay cool. One by one, they were admitted inside the building.

Being near the back of the line, Yun spent an indeterminable amount of time in direct fire of the sun where he surely burned to a crisp. His bland grey shirt grew ever damper with the thick layer of sweat that dripped from his pores. The soles of his feet wildly cried for a break from the constant movement which had taken up much of his day. Every now and then, somebody nearby would also moan and complain about having to tolerate the ungodly heat, which only reminded the others of the unfortunate circumstance. Fortunately the queue did move along, he thought, there was no telling what horrible affliction would have become of them had it not.

Before long, he too arrived at the front of the line. The young boys, such as himself, who had toughed out the sweltering heat were to be admitted through a single, narrow doorway. Though it was just a small glimpse, Yun was able to curiously peer inside the entrance of the building. At the front was a dimly lit corridor, but its radiance increased the further he looked ahead. A series of peppy conversations carried on inside as the other duelists flaunted their weapons like trophies of worth. The view was obstructed by a large figure that stood directly in his line of sight.

"Name?" A bald-headed man in a silky purple suit peered down at him with a pair of stern, interrogative eyes. His expression was blank and his movements were almost soulless and robotic.

"My name is Zhao Yun sir" He replied in kind.

"Proceed to duel field one and wait your turn" The man checked something off his clipboard and moved on to the next person. Another man positioned closer to the doorway gestured for Yun to enter, which he kindly did with a small bow of gratitude.

He continued forward. A sizeable cluster of students gathered in social groups along the walls of the corridor, only briefly did they glance in his direction before they returned to their usual conversation. Yun took careful note of the weapons people held as he proceeded further down the hallway. Swords and spears made up the majority of the weaponry present. The heavy-weights lugged around their gigantic clubs seemingly with ease. The smaller kids often wandered alone, they timidly carried small battle fans by one hand and skittishly surveyed the competition with a pair of beady little eyes.

At the end of the corridor was another room that was separated in an open concept by a blank doorway. The room was arranged with five dueling fields lined vertically across; each one was numbered in order from left to right. For every field there were also two duelists already in the middle of their fights, along with a lengthy lineup that lead to each one. Yun glanced back and forth as he intently watched the other contestants in action.

"Hey look! It's the regional champ, Yue Jin, fighting in field 3!" One of the contestants gawked in the background.

Yun spotted a short, muscular boy in the midst of a duel with a much larger, club waiving opponent. Both duelists had already broken a sweat and now stared each other down from opposite ends of the field in a rise of intensity. Jin's choice of weapon was the rather exotic, silver coated dual hook blades with razor sharp edges. Anyone who carried a weapon like that automatically separated themselves from the crowd in both wealth and, typically, skill. However, his opponent was about thrice his size and wielded a mammoth sized club to boot.

"Smallfry, surrender now if you'd like…otherwise I'll enjoy beating you to a pulp!" The boy with the club boisterously threatened him.

"Silence! I won't let you demean me anymore!" He yelled in defiance, a fire seemed to be lit in his eyes. He lowered his hook blades to his sides and took off in a quick beeline sprint toward his enemy. Step by step he drew closer, yet showed no signs of making an attack. His opponent was content to remain still and watch his opponent run straight into his demise. Only a few feet separated the two of them now, it was clear somebody had to attack the other.

"_What could he be thinking…?" _Yun wondered of the tactical reasons for his hesitation to attack at the current time.

"You're mine!" His opponent shouted as Jin charged madly into a sure defeat. If this connected, the boy would be praised for being able to defeat the regional champion in a single swing of his club.

He raised his spiked club to the apex of his attack; it looked as though it would descend directly onto Jin's head! With the absolute power of force, he descended into a game-breaking attack. Yue Jin responded with an execution of a perfectly-timed double jump, a rare evasion move known only by elite duelists. The plan worked perfectly. The attack passed him harmlessly and now he faced his opponent's exposed back for the counterattack.

"Swift as the wind, deadly as the hidden strength within. Musou Ranbu! Instant Charge!"

Yue Jin released a barrage of attacks upon his opponent's defenseless backside. His hook blades sliced his opponent one shot after another. Graceful as a skaters turns on ice, he juggled and toyed with his opponent until the final slash that sent his sparring partner out of the duel field. The remainder of his boastful opponent laid unconsciously on the floor beside his bludgeoning weapon. With that, Jin had skillfully claimed his well-earned victory and certainly a spot in the academy's ranks.

The judges, a panel of ten men total, watched from upon high on a balcony. Their heads nodded in approval of Jin's tactically sound performance in that fight which likely followed by low key comments of praise. From an elevated position, the judges could easily watch over the duels in their simultaneous occurrence and pick out the best of the bunch.

"_This is it, my only chance…I must win!" _The thought of being constantly watched with a critical eye jolted Yun to life. He quickly proceeded to his assigned duel field; a small group of students sat along the sides of the ring and carefully observed the match in progress. This time it was a sword wielder who faced off against a tall and slender individual carrying an exotic wheeled halberd. A calming vibe filled Yun's immediate senses, a stark contrast to the previous battle.

"I was kinda hoping this was going to be more interesting" The slender boy sighed in boredom as he passively styled his hair in the middle of the match. "…Well, I guess it can't be helped"

"Bastard! I'll make you pay!" His opponent suddenly erupted from the top of his lungs. Short and restless huffs made up his chaotic breathing patterns.

His opponent charged furiously in hopes of exacting his revenge. The other boy simply shrugged in mock confusion and raised his weapon in order to meet with a counterattack.

"Face the flames of your own demise, Musou Ranbu! Imperial Fire!"

He swung his halberd and in an instant, two spiky, metal disks shot out from the inside compartments. Their sharp, piercing blades rolled along the field on both sides and cutting everything in its path. His opponent froze in panic, unsure of how to best defend himself from the two-sided attack. Struck in both legs by the disks, the electrical currents sent him to sleep in a prompt end of the match. A light-hearted laugh escapes the victor as he exits the duel field. A crew of men enter the field to drag the loser's body from the ring where they proceeded to line him along the sidelines with the other defeated foes.

"Amazing! Li Dian completely controlled the duel!" Somebody calls out.

"As expected of the regional finals runner up!" Another contestant adds.

Li Dian confidently strutted passed his audience without as much as a glance in their direction. Yun looked up at the judges again and saw they furiously scribbled something down on their papers. The competition at these entrance exams grew more and more interesting as time went on. What other recognizable face would appear in these fields today, Yun wondered.

Meanwhile, hidden quietly from the commotion, Cao Pi contently lorded over the dueling subjects from a separate balcony. He sneered at their general incapability while they were none the wiser. An entourage of wealth, power, and status stood by his side to clear his path to one day ruling over the entire world. Though, of course, it had always been this way for the son of Cao Cao

"This is an utter waste of my father's precious time; I don't know why he subjects himself to this nonsense…"

Everywhere he looked, amateurs filled the fields. They acted with arrogance although it was clear that none of them possessed even a shred of knowledge of the art of dueling. No strategy or tactics were involved in their duels, a chaotic mess of emotions and sudden whims dictated their disastrous attempts. It sickened him to the very core to think the future generations would not be capable of anything more than being the misguided subjects of inadequacy.

"Cousin has gone a long way to establish the ties between Han Academy and Cao Corporation" Xiahou Yuan asserted.

"Han Academy will become nothing but dead weight latching onto father's company if they're so willing to recruit trash duelists and call them elites" Cao Pi replied disdainfully.

"Then perhaps it's time I demonstrated our point…" The voice of Cao Cao's right hand man, Xiahou Dun, boldly declared before he jumped from the upper balcony onto the duel field below where Yun happened to stand nearby.

"I-It's the One Eyed Demon!" People gasped at his sudden arrival. The nickname was a cruel indication of his missing left eye covered by the thin fabric of a black eyepatch. He held a podao whose blade was large enough to cleanly slice through a line of several pig carcasses.

"The former pro league duelist, what is he doing here?!" Another person exclaimed. The man turned to the extended line of duelists who stared upwards at him with the shock equivalent to the first sightings of a deity.

"I grow bored of these games. Now who here is brave enough to challenge me?!" He boldly declared for all in the room, perhaps even the entire building, to hear. There was a sudden halt of action, people from the other duel fields paused to watch the new scene unfold.

"N-No thanks, I'm not interested" One boy meekly backpedalled to the closest wall.

"I wouldn't stand a chance against him!" Another boy said in a defeated tone as he quivered in his boots. The looks of fear and panic in the audience brought a smug grin on Dun's face as he scanned the room left in silence by his yet intimidating figure.

"I will challenge you!" Zhao Yun jumped to his feet. His blood boiled, his body shook, a euphoric sensation gripped at his very essence like a persistent high. A duelist's energy ran through his body for the first time, he could feel the power intensify to a breaking limit. He felt absolutely invincible at that very moment.

"Sounds interesting. I will show you no mercy!" The former pro duelist sternly warned.

The two changed into their battle suits and prepared for battle. A large crowd of people from the other fields gathered around in the sheer wonder of the sudden turn of events. People were conversing furiously with each other about the details, even the judges seemed to be fully intrigued by the surprise entrance. Yun could feel the tension in the atmosphere thicken under the pressure of several hundred critical stares as he got into a fighting stance.

"_So this is how a duelist feels huh? Amazing! I've never felt more alive! My opponent looks very strong! I wonder what kind of dueling he will show me?!"_

By comparison, in both skill and weaponry, Xiahou Dun easily came out on top. Being aware of this, Yun concluded a victory against an opponent of this calibre would no doubt earn him an acceptance into the academy and seal his reputation as a great duelist. This was the chance he had been training for.

_GONG!_

The two charged towards one another with iron wills and blades of steel. Everyone else watched intently, including Cao Pi who appeared all too amused by Yun's unfounded gall to challenge a former pro league duelist. Still, the future remained undecided.

"Charge attack!" They shouted in unison.

Their weapons collided, the duelists are sent into a deadlock. Sparks and shards of steel fragments are blasted all around them. Yun struggled and eventually caved from beneath to his opponent's podao blade. He is sent to the ground with one swift kick of the boot into his stomach. With the opportunity to execute his attack, Xiahou Dun took to the air in an aerial charge attack. It was the very same strategy Cao Pi used in his duel to gain the initial advantage over Sun Ce. Recognizing this, Yun pushed roughly into the ground and pulled off a miraculous back flip to evade the impending attack. Dun grinned in satisfaction for Yun had fallen precisely into his hands.

"Shadow Sprint!" Dun shouted with an immense ferocity.

His body dashed forward in a great momentum. The brunt of his bulging shoulders clipped Yun in the chest to mark the first instance of damage. He was granted a personal experience of the battle suit's effects. Several volts of electricity crawled up the connection lines of his nervous system. The ensuing shocks sank into him like several sets of teeth feasting on his live body.

"Arrrgghh!" Yun screamed as his body was charred internally by the flames of malice in an excruciating torture.

"You feel that? The pain rushing through your body?! Embrace it. It's the only thing you have to look forward to. If you don't think you can handle it, now would be the time to surrender…"

"It looks like Xiahou Dun has this fight already won…" Somebody snidely commented.

"Huh?" Yun looked over to the audience, they were laughing at him, at the pain which he alone had to endure. These were the very same people who weakly declined the challenge out of fear, yet they still mocked him for trying. It was demoralizing, downright humiliating, to be demeaned by the masses in such a petty manner. Nonetheless, their insults continued, it appeared as though nobody thought he would be able to win.

In that case, the act of surrendering would only prove their preconceived notions right. However, that only left Yun with the option to fight and perhaps try to defeat Dun. It was unrealistic for him to believe he could continue to fight without taking another hit of damage. It may have even been unrealistic to expect anything but a loss in his first and only duel against a former pro with an immeasurable difference in their experience and accolades. But, could he really bear that intrusive pain once again?

"So, what will you do?" His opponent's baritone voice barged in the way of his thoughts. People anxiously waited on this decision.

"_Either result could end with defeat. The key to victory, there may only be one. I will have to bet on my future!" _Yun thought to himself before he slowly rose to his feet. His spear rose to the occasion as the boy bravely regathered into a fighting stance. "I will fight you, in the name of honour!"

"Very well, come!" Dun replied with an engaged smile.

"Yeah."

Yun rushed to the offensive as Dun retreated into a defensive mode in preparation. Slash after slash, stab after stab, Yun's combos were meet with Dun's defensive skill – he couldn't do any damage through his usual strategies.

"Slash combo!"

"Counterattack!" Precisely on Yun's next attack, Dun parried the strike and sent him back with a hard slash in the stomach. The currents jolted into Yun's entire being as he yells in pain once again. His vision blurred considerably, it was followed by the desire to drop to the floor.

"_No, I mustn't fall! As long as I'm able, I'll fight with everything I have!"_

Yun's legs, fatigued and shaking, felt as if they might fall under his own weight. He struggled mightily to stay on his aching feet as the day finally took its toll on him. His body wheezed and begged for more precious oxygen. Just how much longer could he withstand this?

"As expected, Dun has the idiot backed into a corner" Cao Pi praised.

"Looks like he's already worn out…" Xiahou Yuan remarked, the two shared a chuckle at Yun's expense.

Dun analyzed his opponent's stance carefully and deliberated his next move. The scent of victory hung tantalizingly near his nostrils.

"_It's only a matter of time before he falls, he will be desperate to end the fight quickly before that happens. I must be careful not to play into his attempts. Victory will be mine if I can simply defend against everything he tries" _Dun contemplated.

Yun watched his opponent fall into a tight defensive stance and immediately thought of his next attack. Another bout of fatigue clawed at his body, he visibly winced in its slowly increasing pain. It would come down to a single gamble to determine the winner of the match. He used the same set of combo attacks as before to strike Dun's defenses, though they were all blocked in the same manner. In this match, the pieces had all been set now – this was his final chance to turn things around. He summoned the remaining power inside of him and prayed his next strike would have connected or he feared the match would end in his defeat.

"Guard break!"

It was funny how the match would be determined by the move which he had worked so hard to perfect over the last few months of rigorous training. Yun wound up, he slashed upwards with the all of the adrenaline in his body. His spear slammed into Dun's podao like a freight train collision. The force of Yun's attack knocked his guard off balance, then he smiled knowing it all paid off.

"My gamble has worked!" He called out to Dun, reinvigorated with a new sense of confidence in himself.

"What do you mean?"

"EX Attack: Spiral Spear!" With one powerful motion, Yun drove the tip of his spear into Dun's midsection. He lifted with the reserve strength in his leg muscles, they both rocketed their way into the air. Yun spun in circles while his spear drilled painfully into his opponent's stomach. "Dragon's Slash!"

A powerful green aura surrounded Yun's body. Everyone looked upwards in astonishment as he seemed to be simply hovered in mid-air. He juggled with Dun's body, cutting him with a string of hard hitting slashes before one last hit which sent his opponent's body in a free fall the ground. The shock in Dun's body intensified with each hit.

"Aerial charge!" Following the lead, Yun charged in from above. His spear led the way as he pierced the blade's edge into Dun's very skin beneath the metallic exterior.

"Clashing fates lead to a new light, engraved into the history of tomorrow. Musou Ranbu! Flying Dragon!"

In one final charge, powered by the confidence and the aura of a mighty spirited warrior, Zhao Yun pushed forward with his spear at the helm. Across the length of the entire dueling field, Dun's body fell into a state of unconsciousness in a room that went deafeningly silent in an instant. Cao Pi and his entourage, as well as Cao Cao and the judges, nobody could believe what they had just seen. Zhao Yun had pulled off the great upset victory. The other contestants erupted in an exuberant happiness at the brilliant fight shown before their very eyes.

And yet, Zhao Yun's true fight was just about to begin.


	3. Ceremonial Oath Process

A black military carrier plane soared majestically through the skies. Yun and a small group of fresh recruits delighted at the view of the ever-expansive forest in its hues of green and brown blended into one. Not a trace of civilization was to be found anywhere within a several miles radius. All but a small patch of land was concealed by the lush natural foliage of the new terrain.

"Students, we are about to arrive at our destination. Prepare for landing" The pilot's calming voice instructed them over the plane's PA system. They immediately felt the downward pressure as the plane's nose lowered to meet with the ground in an angular descent. A small runway appeared before their eyes, the students were hit head on by the stunning revelation. Cheers erupted as one journey finally reached its end and another was just about to begin.

The pilot engaged the plane's landing gear from the cockpit. Its wheels spun proactively on the tarmac below. Momentum carried the students another several hundred feet before it came to a complete halt. Everyone moved with haste to unfasten the cross layered harnesses that effectively strapped their entire bodies to the seats for the duration of the trip. Yun reached under his seat and retrieved his personal bag from where it was snugly stored. The bag contained just two things, his spear and his battle suit. Though, for the newest student at Han Dueling Academy, these two things were absolutely essential!

Light flooded into the room as the plane's rear compartment opened into a ramp that lead to the outside world. The people seated closest to the back were the first to exit, but were also the first to be disappointed.

"Huh? There's nothing here?!" The voice of Li Dian stated with confusion.

It wasn't long before everyone else understood his sentiment. They were surrounded by ancient trees with large trunks on every side. There was a large hangar next to the runway for the plane's storage, but virtually nothing else.

"What's going on?!" Yue Jin demanded to know. Irritation was highly contagious and spread quickly among the ranks. The escorts faced the brunt of a brewing chaos that seemed to reach a concerning limit, but they stood tall, rigid, and unperturbed by their growing desire for retaliation. Only the beastly roar of diesel engines could put an end to the incessant noise that spewed hatefully from the student's mouths.

As if on cue, the escorts moved with great speed and organization. Another fleet of military themed transport parked about twenty feet away from the group. Armed soldiers rushed into a perfect formation of two lines with a five foot gap that dissected the middle. A pathway toward the trucks was spotlessly cleared for the new students in wait.

"Do not be alarmed," The bald headed representative from the entrance exams appeared again. "You will be taken to the academy as promised"

The other students glanced at each other with hesitation, perhaps a bit dubious of the escorts' mysteriousness. However, Yun allowed his heart to guide him ahead of the crowd. Naturally, everyone followed in his footsteps soon after. One by one, the escorts assisted them in boarding the back of the trucks. Once everyone had entered, the fleet went on the move.

From the ground view, the trees stood high enough to surpass the fabled heavens. It was hard to believe these gigantic structures of nature originally appeared to them as small specks of colour when they had looked at them from the skies. A narrow dirt path lined the interior with twists and turns at a constant. The trucks drove in an agonizingly slow pace in their attempts to maneuver the terrain.

"For such a big name duel academy, we should be treated better than this!" One student complained. He winced as the elbow of another student incidentally dug into his side.

The boy felt the same pain on the other side as well; in fact everyone experienced the coarse sensation of a crowded seating arrangement.

"Are you not man enough to tolerate just a tiny bit of pain?" Dian playfully joked.

"What'd you say?!" The annoyed student jumped up from his spot and moved into a lunge towards the boy across from him, the students next to him had to forcefully restrain his arms before the fight surely began. Meanwhile, Dian hadn't flinched in the slightest and even smirked at how easily he managed to get into the other boy's head.

"My, my, getting emotional are we?" He continued to prod into his emotions.

Yue Jin turned away from the dramatics that were culminating in its beginning stages and instead directed his attention to another point of interest. His eyes met Yun's in an instant, a spark of curiosity ignited in his mind.

"So, you must be Zhao Yun right?" The voice of Yue Jin called across to him.

"Yes! You're Yue Jin! And Li Dian!" Yun addressed the two respectfully as they sat side by side.

"It's an honour to finally meet you!" Jin spoke with a rigorous excitement.

"Likewise. Congratulations on winning the regional tournament!" Yun replied with a smile.

"It's no surprise we're already popular!" Dian smirked in a leisurely content as to bask in the rising sun of one's glory much like the prideful lion.

"I watched you fight at the entrance exams, I can't wait to have a duel with you when we arrive at the academy!" Yue Jin exclaimed.

Yun recalled his high-paced offensive style, how effective it was against opponents with heavy weapons. Despite his size, Yue Jin was not an opponent to discard aside. After all, he went on to become the regional champion…

"Yeah! I'd enjoy that"

"While I must admit, he _is _good; a duel with the national champion is the true prize…" Dian retorted.

"_Cao Pi…" _Yun thought. "_I have a feeling we will cross paths someday"_

…

Cao Pi stared out of the side window of his father's private helicopter as the pilot made his preparations to land at the school's helipad. Across from him sat his father and Cousins Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan. The bitter mood resulting from Dun's recent defeat completely shut out the prospects of conversation. At any rate, the experience allowed Pi to reflect upon what he had witnessed.

"_An unknown fighter with a low-grade spear, a being without worth, and yet he somehow managed to win…"_

On the helipad, the legs of the helicopter softly touched down. Gusts of wind blew strands of hair wildly into their faces as they filed out of the side doors in an orderly fashion. They were greeted by the academy headmaster and a row of his campus prefects dressed in purple robes.

"Welcome!" The Academy Headmaster joyfully proclaimed in open arms. He and Cao Cao briefly bowed toward one another in a show of respect. "The opening ceremonies will begin in the next hour!"

"Excellent! I hear you have prepared exciting entertainment for this year's festivities" Cao Cao inquired.

The Headmaster nodded in affirmation, he signalled a few prefects to handle Cao Pi's belongings. They promptly rushed to seize his belongings and left at a quick pace.

"I was recently informed by a representative of the World Duelist Pro League that a scout has been sent to monitor the progress of one of our newest students. It seems they believe he is currently the most viable selection to enter once he graduates…"

"_Could it be him…?"_ The convenience was so striking, Cao Pi jumped to the first and most logical conclusion.

"A first year student you say? Interesting…" Cao Cao gently stroked his facial hair in the midst of his own thoughts. Cao Pi could tell from the distinct gleam in his father's eyes that he grew more and more intrigued by this mysterious duelist.

"It appears so" The Headmaster affirmed.

"I will be his opponent!" Cao Pi boldly declared. He ignored the incredulous glare from his father.

"Cao Pi…" The man scolded in a stern, fatherly tone before being immediately waved off by the headmaster.

"It's a brilliant idea! I'll have it arranged at once!" The headmaster announced with a pleasant smile.

Pi turned to acknowledge his father; he was still obviously displeased in the manner which his son had stepped out of line. Dun and Yuan watched from the background with a scientist's indifference in a matter of conflicting loyalties.

"Since you don't seem to notice, I'll show it to you tonight father! There is only one man worthy of being king; I'll dismantle anyone who challenges me!"

…

At this time, the trucks had finally pulled up to the entrance and stopped. Several purple robed security guards stood nearby. Yun and the others sighed in relief as the truck's iron hatch was finally opened and students started to shuffle their way into the outside world. What they saw upon first glance was like something out of a fairy tale. They gasped in awe as they took in the breathtaking sights.

The academy's campus, both far-reaching and spacious, was artistically aligned in cobblestone with several fields of soft green grass to lay in on a casual day. All around the academy's perimeter, protected vigilantly by security guards, a large concrete wall no less than twelve feet high towered over the place like a barrier from the outside. To the left was an archery field equipped with several bullseye targets and a stable with steeds of various breeds. To the right was a larger manor surrounded by an iron forged fence. The main building stood straight ahead at around six storeys tall. It was a masterpiece of the future's great advance on architecture covered in a shiny metallic frame, though it also incorporated designs reminiscent of the past.

A classical orchestra performance graciously welcomed the students to their new home as they were escorted by guards along the walkways into the main building. Nobody could believe their eyes at that very moment. For Yun, it was hard to imagine something of such a grandiose appearance existed in such a faraway terrain hidden away from the big cities. The group came to a standstill upon the stone-layered front steps of the main building where they were met by the headmaster himself who stood in front of the door. He was easily distinguished by his well-toned muscles, topped with a gentleman's mustache and a gaze that simply spelled out his authority. With a slight nod of his head, the orchestra in the background stopped playing and he turned his attention to the curious audience that gathered before him.

"My students, welcome, I am pleased to announce that you have passed our rigorous testing and I hereby declare you students of Han Academy!"

The students graciously rejoiced at this. Yun gazed at the entirely new surroundings. His mouth hung agape in awe of the magnificent scenery that seemed to come straight from dreams. The overwhelming stimulation lulled the group into a passive silence as the headmaster continued.

"It is of my utmost honour to announce the commencement of the opening ceremonies! Please make your way into the duel auditorium where the main event will begin" With his statement concluded, he signalled for two security guards to hold the doors open for the students as they pressed anxiously inside.

The room was illuminated by an impressive array of ceiling lights that dangled on an elegant chandelier. The interior was floored by a polished marble which Yun could even spot his own reflection in. Nearby, a series of couches positioned in a semi-circle fashion stared at a large television screen that was currently off. There were about a dozen butlers on site with round steel trays of snacks and delicacies that they wafted temptingly in front of their noses.

"Look at all this food!" He went from server to server as he selfishly devoured food that he had not once seen in his life – a smile filled his heart to the brim in tastes that were almost divine. "Amazing!"

Though the others in contrast were very picky about which delicacy they chose to eat, others even flat out refused all of the offerings as they continued onward.

"You should really pace yourself for later on" A smaller statured boy with short dark hair spoke in the midst of stifling a laugh.

"Huh? Why's that?" Yun asked in confusion.

"Just a suggestion" The boy vaguely responded before he whisked away with the other students.

"W-wait up!" Yun ran to catch up to the others.

The seating arrangements in the duel auditorium were configured in a circular pattern similar to a stadium's. A duel field was placed in the center which was currently holding three elegant flags of separate distinctions. There was a blue flag with the emblem of a soaring phoenix taking to the skies. There was a red flag with the emblem of a ferocious tiger leaping through the flames. Then, last but not least, there was a green flag with the emblem of a dragon vigilantly watching over the earth. All of the students sat down accordingly and waited for the event to be continued. A purple robed man took to the microphone and gathered everyone's attention.

"Attention students! We will now begin the ceremonial oath process. Each student must pledge their allegiance to one of the three houses. In return, you will live, learn, and grow with your peers of the same allegiance. Guided by a principle philosophy, you will move forward in life as you shoulder the expectations of your chosen house and become a fine member of society. Here to show you the path to greatness, I give you Master Cao Cao of Wei, Master Sun Jian of Wu, and Master Liu Bei of Shu"

"Liu Bei?! What is he doing here?" Zhao Yun's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull as he stared at the young, kindred man on the stage in front of the green dragon flag. There was no doubt in his mind; he was certainly the man whom he had met that night many months ago.

"First, we have Master Cao Cao speaking on behalf of the Cao-Wei clan!"

Cao Cao strode proudly to the centre of the stage and snatched the microphone from the man's hands. An icy cool glare etched forever into his emotionless eyes.

"Students, I praise you for your ability to come this far, but the path of conquest does not end here. In both life and battle, a duelist may only rely on their own strength. Friends, family, lovers, a true duelist must surpass these hindrances and fight alone to reach the top. Are you prepared to sacrifice bonds for the chance to succeed?"

A chorus of cheers rang through the auditorium as a large portion of the students mentally subscribed themselves to the cruel mentality. The support which his speech had garnered from the new populace brought a smirk to Cao Cao's face. He returned the microphone to the purple robed man and went to stand in front of his dorm's respective flag.

"Next, welcome the head of Wu. Sun Jian!"

An older man with the figure of a bear takes to the center. He smiled to the crowd in a warm and welcoming manner before addressing them personally.

"Since the dawn of man, individuals have withered and died while the communities survived through the ages. Here at Wu, we believe a true duelist does not fight for their own sake, but for those who support them, and in turn you will be supported by your comrades. Our true potential is revealed when we fight with our friends. Come! Join the ranks of tigers and let us grow together!"

His moving speech on togetherness is met with a round of applause which ended with slightly less excitement than the previous. Sun Jian handed the microphone to Liu Bei as he approached the center of the duel field.

"Thank you master Sun Jian…and to you all as well. I'm very happy knowing that there are many eager faces in the crowd who desire to do something memorable in their lives. My aim is only to impart onto you my knowledge of the world and how we must continue to give to others. I do not seek glory, fame, or wealth, only to see the happiness of people. Discard your pride and desire for personal gain and help me realize a world where poverty, starvation, and evil no longer exist"

Liu Bei ended his speech with a smile. The crowd's reaction was less favourable in comparison to the other two, only a few sets of hands were put together in applause. Despite this, Yun watched him retire to his respective flag with content. Finally, the purple robed man returned to his rightful place with a flashy, white-toothed grin and beaming eyes as he proceeded to address his audience.

"Now students, which path will you choose to walk?!"

At this time, students filed into an orderly line near the staircases that led to the stage. Excitement filled the air as students prepared to graduate onto a new stage of life, the mysteries and challenges that awaited them remained hidden behind three coloured flags.

Under Wei, Yun could immediately bridge the gap between the academy and the pro leagues using Cao Cao's expansive connections. Not to mention the competition provided by the Chinese National Champion Cao Pi would serve to promote his own growth. This had been exactly as Yun had desired all along, yet something seemed unsettling about the thought of surrounding oneself with enemies.

Then there was Wu which stood in stark contrast to this very philosophy. Indeed, the support of a larger family was something that was very appealing. Within this fury of changes, the aid of Wu's many comrades would help him through the times. As good as it sounded however; Yun's gut instinct foretold the correct decision remained in the air.

This led to Liu Bei of Shu. Upon his reflection, their first meeting had seemed entirely fated. From then until now, his humble appearance had always taken the forefront – a distinguishing characteristic apart from the others. With a noble cause and a kind heart, Yun concluded that the sincerity of his words must be genuine. For now at least, Yun had some time to consider his decision as other kids mounted the stage with their final decisions surely made in their minds already.

Yue Jin was the very first to rise to the occasion. Without a single doubt in his mind, he pursued his path to the top among the ranks of Wei. Li Dian followed closely behind his friend. After them, several others made the same decision. As they all stood in front of their new flag of allegiance, and the others left barren and empty, Yun wondered if Wei would take them all.

A handsome young man with long brown hair ascended the stage and made his pledge to Wu – much to Yun's surprise. Following him, the short statured boy Yun had met from earlier, made his decision to join Shu. Finally, it was his turn to take the centre stage. Unsure of who to select, he eyed all three options once more.

The boys of Wei, and there were plenty, glared at Yun in contempt at the possible addition of yet another competitor. Turning to Wu, Yun noticed the new batch of pledges have already begun to cooperate in a manner almost unheard of for complete and utter strangers. As for Shu, Liu Bei and a select few others stared hopefully at his presence. The two men shot knowing glances as they met.

Yun stopped in front of the Shu Flag, the eyes of the emblem dragon appeared to be watching down on him with approval. Falling to one knee, Yun politely bowed his head before Liu Bei.

"I pledge my allegiance to Shu" He confidently stated.

"And I gladly welcome you" Liu Bei replied with a smile.


	4. Ceremony Grand Finale Zhao Yun vs Cao Pi

Cao Pi stared with a grimace at the sight of his custom battle suit as it hung unceremoniously against the tiled walls of the change room. Content to bask in silence, he mentally prepared himself for his upcoming battle. Every living moment spent at the top is a challenge to one's own Excellency as people plot to overthrow the reign and seize the glory of tomorrow. Although the World Duelist Pro League (WDPL) originally intended for a representative to gauge the skills of the lucky duelist in tonight's fight, the Headmaster worked quickly to enter Cao Pi into the mix instead. It didn't take much convincing to allow him the honour of displaying his truly admirable skills once again. Certainly, the word was spread like wildfire as people undoubtedly gathered before their television sets to watch it all happen.

He felt their judgemental stares bore into his skin with the strength of a million men. A strong knot formed in the pits of his stomach. With an uneasy gag, Cao Pi lurched forward in his seat atop a long, narrow wooden bench. His body quivered with anticipation as beads of sweat moved slowly down the side of his head.

"Win, win…I must win! And win! And win! And win!" The boy repeated to himself again and again in a strained voice. Then, with a burst of passionate emotion teetering closely near the lines of madness, he jumped to his feet and reached for his weapon at once. "I will crush his spirit with my own hands! The world will know the throne is mine!"

He quickly changed into his royal garments and donned the king's crown. Aided by the strength of his own blade, he set forth into battle. Gambling all of the power, fame, and prestige which he held in his name so to thereby claim, when the final blow was struck, it would be he who stood victoriously. On his way to the duel auditorium, Cao Pi was met by his father and first cousins once removed, Xiahou Dun and Yuan respectively. Cao Pi scowled in suspicion at the questionable smirk on his father's face; it was a sudden change from the mood he displayed on the rooftops earlier.

"What's the meaning of this?" Cao Pi curtly inquired.

"You stepped far beyond your bounds with the headmaster" Cao Cao responded with an equal expression of seriousness in kind. A brief stare off occurred between the two. It was a skirmish of two piercing glares. Dun and Yuan passively watched this unfold with considerable discomfort.

"Father, I…" Pi broke the silence. A gloved right hand rose into sight as Cao Cao immediately hushed his son's pitiful negotiation attempt.

"However, if you desire a fight with the one who defeated Xiahou Dun, then so be it. Remember, the world will be watching you, do not disappoint me" Cao Cao's veiled threat flowed from the tongue like a snake's venomous bite.

"Leave it to me, father. I'll drag him down into the depths of an icy hell!" He grinned maliciously at the thought of thoroughly torturing his opponent on the duel field.

"Let's go" Cao Cao commanded of his burly entourage.

"Yes / Yessir!" Dun and Yuan replied in unison as the trio left Pi to his thoughts.

He continued through a long, narrow tunnel that led directly to the auditorium. He heard the audience's growing excitement burst through the corridor walls. With the stage finally set, Cao Pi would secure his place at the top once and for all!

…

Zhao Yun watched on in curiosity as wave upon wave of cameramen rushed into position around the perimeter of the duel field. Four large television screens plastered onto each of the walls sprang into action where a live news feed from an anchorwoman appeared. The acronym "DDN" was shown in the bottom corner of the screen with the title "Champion vs Challenger!" as the main headline. Yun noticed the elegant background behind the reporter had a sort of uncanny similarity to something he may have saw before.

The reporter turned to face her viewers with a graceful flick of her long, flowing, dark brown hair. Her perfectly symmetrical eyes locked onto the audience with a joyous yet alluring gaze. Her lips curled into a cute smile as the camera zoomed in on her features. All of these movements were quick and evidently calculated, yet her body flowed like the natural rhythm of water's tide. Harbouring the elements of elegance and the image of 'sexy' personified, it was not hard to see that she could melt even the steeliest of hearts.

"I'm here at Han Academy where the Chinese National Champion Duelist, Cao Pi, is set to defend his title in an inner-school duel. The opponent in question has yet to be identified. However, I'm standing here with the champion right now!"

The camera panned slightly as Cao Pi entered the shot. He was still dressed in full regalia with his dual blades held closely at the side. A bored and disinterested look took over his expression as a pair of eyes half-glanced at the camera before they trailed elsewhere.

"Cao Pi, what is going through your mind right now as we're just moments away from the match?" The female reporter inquired.

"My victory, of course" He stated with a small and artificial laugh.

The woman retaliated with fake laughter of her own. Her pearly white teeth acted as a curtain to blind people from the truth of her emotions. Though what could be concealed by beauty, Yun noticed the truth was betrayed by her eyes.

"Confidence is the key and you definitely have it right now. Your opponent is still unknown, but what is the strategy going into the duel tonight?"

Cao Pi's cool, glaring eyes returned to the camera's view once again and jolted Yun to life. In their wake was left a bad omen of the future to come.

"It doesn't matter who my opponent will be, the result will remain the same! Anything they plan to try will be futile against my strategies"

With that, he promptly left. The reporter narrowed her eyes at him as he passed by. She turned to the camera with a discreet huff and gently brushed away some loose hair strands that had fallen in front. It only took a few seconds for her to regain composure. Soon she was all smiles in the same way as before.

"Well, that's all we have time for today. I'm Diao Chan, you're watching DDN news. I'll be back at the end of the duel. Stay tuned!"

Zhao Yun looked to the centre of the auditorium; the three flags were hauled off by the men in purple robes. Then the room suddenly fell into pitch darkness. A tense pause in the action threw everyone in the audience into a startled daze. There was a single spotlight that illuminated the duel field where the headmaster himself now appeared.

"Students, I present to you the climax of tonight's entertainment!" His booming voice echoed through the mic and reflected the walls of the auditorium.

His statement was met with thunderous cheers from the stands upon having received the latest news. As if on cue, a fully equipped marching band provided an exhilarating melody to hype up the event. From the ceiling, a series of coloured lights dazzled the room in a brilliant diversity. The room's surfaces marvellously glimmered like the finest of gems.

"Our first contestant needs no introduction. He is the pinnacle of might and success as the Chinese Junior National Champion. I give you, Cao Pi!"

"Cao Pi!"

"Cao Pi!"

"Cao Pi!"

The chanting could be heard far and wide. From the winter wonderland of the North, to the tropical paradise of the South, along the coastlines of the East, and upon the highest mountains of the West, never was a name so revered and feared all at once. He strutted with the utmost of confidence onto the stage and posed for the entire nation to envy. The flash of camera lights nearly engulfed the entire room as crews swarmed by the masses to get his picture up close. The sight was nothing short of intimidating; his opponent would certainly be unfortunate.

"His opponent in tonight's match is also a student of the Academy. Though entirely unknown to the world, this young man has shown tremendous potential. The first year hailing from the Shu House I give you, Zhao Yun!"

Sounds of a wildly enthusiastic audience filled the room to completion. The boy in question remained frozen in his seat. His eyes gawked at the gigantic wall screens around the room while his name transcribed itself onto the rolling headlines. Just then, another spotlight singled him out from the crowd. All eyes were laid instantly on him, Cao Pi's malevolent stare included.

"Cao Pi's opponent is…me?"

"Now, what kind of dueling will these two show us today?!" The headmaster concluded his speech as he encouraged the two duelists to take their places at the centre.

Yun stood up from his seat, a generous round of applause greeted him. His body grew rigid and seemed to take on a life of its own as he involuntarily made his way down the aisle steps towards the duel field. The room's temperature flared to over a thousand degrees and the air clung relentlessly onto his skin. His heartbeat marched to the erratic tune of the playing drums. Cao Pi smirked at him from his vantage point on the elevated field. Yun thought back to his fated premonition, it all became much less ridiculous when paired with the face of reality.

"Yun!" Liu Bei called to him from the sidelines. The three masters of Shu approached the boy with a green-coloured battle suit and Yun's personal spear in their possession. Yu and Fei assisted Yun in changing into the suit. Bei then presented the boy his weapon for which he was expected to somehow slay the king.

"You can do this, stay strong!" Fei encouraged with a hearty pat on the shoulders

"Watch your opponent's moves, figure out his motives, and you will win!" Guan Yu proceeded to advise him.

"…And remember, much like water, the tide of the match will alternate from one side to another. Be aware of the flow and stay alive long enough for the tides to turn in your favour." Liu Bei rested his hands on Yun's shoulders in the same way a loving parent would have.

"Thank you, everyone. I'm ready to give it my all! For the pride of my fellow students, I won't lose!" Yun's eyes widened with energy and optimism as he finally turned to confront his next opponent.

"Good luck!" Liu Bei proclaimed to his back in a final gesture of support.

Yun ascended the steel staircase to the top of the elevated duel field. Cao Pi was already dressed and fully prepared for their showdown. Just fifty feet of empty space was left to share between them. They gathered into their respective battle stances and engaged themselves for the fight. Lights were sent into motion on the duel field as it connected with the duelist's battle suits.

"Be honoured, it's quite rare for someone to be deemed worthy enough to duel in my presence. So even if you lose, you can still boast that it at least comes from my hands" Cao Pi taunted.

"The end has not been decided" Zhao Yun responded in an unwavering resistance. His gripped tightened around the pole of his spear. The blade was raised into an attacking position.

"Victory is determined by 99% skill, the other mere one percent being luck. Do you really think you can defeat me?!"

"I will believe in my future!"

"Tch, I am going to enjoy beating you senseless" He scowled

GONG! The match has begun.

The duelists circled one another, each waited for the other to make the first move. They gathered crucial details and analyzed their opponent to great lengths, from the positioning of their stances to the movements of their bodies, in search of any possible exploitation. A calm but unnerving silence served to thicken the tension in the room as people practically waited on the edge of their seats.

A few seconds went by before Yun took to the initiative. Cao Pi followed suit with an attack of his own. The result was a fierce deadlock between the two duelists. Glowing yellow sparks flew in every direction as they pushed with all the strength in their bodies. So close were they to one another, that they were able to intimately watch the struggled expressions get the better of them.

"Allow me to demonstrate a small extent of what you will be dealing with…" Cao Pi said with a confident smirk as he suddenly detached his double-edged blade into two separate swords.

With the element of surprise at his advantage, Cao Pi executed a stunning five hit slashing combo striking Yun's lower abdomen before he laid him out with a rapid upper-cutting slice to the chin. Yun's body flopped harshly across the duel field's surface. Painful electric shocks inside his body sapped away at his vital energy.

Seeing this, Cao Pi pressed his momentum forward for another attack. He approached quickly at corner of Yun's eye. The Shu boy hopped to his feet and hastily ducked below the first blade as it swung perpendicular to his neck. A second blade pursued him immediately afterwards from the opposite direction, this time aimed in a slashing motion just below the knees. By the short length of a hair, Yun managed to jump over his ferocious attack. However in doing so, he was unknowingly played perfectly into his opponent's hands. With a dignified hum in his tune, Cao Pi expertly rolled behind him.

"Arctic Stun Combo!"

Yun felt the electrical currents of the most recent attack as it coursed through the spine of his back. His body fell into shock, paralyzed and robbed of his breath. Cao Pi played with him as a cat would to a mouse. With every hit, the shock intensified just a bit more. His body slammed to the floor once again. A strained cry broke loose from his lungs. The seconds ticked away at a snail's pace. Only the ambient background noise reminded him of his whereabouts.

"Hmph, not even fit to share the duel field with me!" Cao Pi sighed in an address to the crowd. He taunted his feeble opponent with an entertainer's sense of showmanship.

"I'm…not…done yet!" Yun pushed against his own body weight and returned to his feet. He slumped into a weary fighting stance.

"I was just beginning to think I had wasted my precious time" Cao Pi charged forward once again.

It was full frontal and Yun prepared to meet the attack head on. Pi lunged forward with his blade slashing downward towards his head. The pole of Yun's spear quickly intercepted the charge attack as the two crossed paths. With the attack safely adverted, Yun countered with a powerful slice across Cao Pi's chest that sent him to the ground.

He used this moment as a short break, but Cao Pi jumped to his feet without a slight hesitation – the electrical currents became only a minor inconvenience. He swung at his opponent again. Yun deflected the attack while countering with another sweeping slash. The boy of Wei gasped in horror in realization that he fell for the same tactic twice in a row. The shockwaves intensified, he began to show some noticeable signs of pain.

"Yun countered the King's attack again!" A member of the crowd exclaimed.

"Amazing!" Another awed expression appeared in the audience.

"Bastard!" Cao Pi snarled. There was a slight wheeze that emanated from his lungs as he breathed. "You'll learn to regret ever fighting me!"

They circled once again. Pi retained his scheming glare and inched in his direction. Yun fell back into defensive stance and awaited his opponent's next move. There was only a few seconds of reprise before Pi launched into another furious attack. Yun could only spot a glimpse of the shiny blades out of the corner of his eye moments before it hurdled at his body. There were so many strike attempts, he lost his count. However, an opening was forged in his opponent's furious attacking. Yun capitalized on a third chance for a counterattack.

"Dive Evade!" Cao Pi executed a backwards spinning move that swiftly glided him away from Yun's slashing spear attack. A satisfied grin played on his features. "You've played right into my hands, EX: Azure Ice Storm!"

"What?!" Yun gasped as a beam of blue light burst from the tip of Cao Pi's blade. A ruthlessly cool substance consumed his entire body from head to toe and turned him into a sculptured block of ice.

"_I remember that moment quite clearly…" _He postulated upon his own inner reflection. _"He had used the Dive Evade to avoid Ce's Tiger Stun Combo, then he immobilized his opponent with the Azure Ice Storm, and then…" _

"Taste the bitterness of defeat. Become a stepping stone I walk on to the path of greatness, Musou Ranbu! GLACIER PIERCE!" And then the arrival of the climax, the blow that would end it all.

Cao Pi beamed in the signs of victory amidst a stunning spectacle for the entire nation to witness in awe and adoration. Time travelled in slow motion, Yun's defeat was already assured – all that remained was the agonizing moment of torture as he watched his fleeting chance sail away in the wind. That was the case, until everything made a sudden and drastic change.

The mysterious green aura surrounded Yun's body and had managed to somehow crack through the nearly impenetrable layer of ice that encased him. His eyes filled to the brim in a newfound sense of power and determination. In the wisdom of his master, the tide of battle had shifted in his favour.

"Embodying the spirit of the dragon, may my power guide the world to a new era! Shin Musou Ranbu! Flying Dragon!" Acting upon lightning quick reflexes, Yun launched into his own spectacular musou attack.

"S-Shin Musou Ranbu…" Cao Pi muttered with horror as his glacier pierce was effortlessly dispatched by an unseen combo.

The tip of Yun's spear drove deep into his suit and carried him across the entire length of the duel field whilst drilling into his very core. His unconscious body slumped to the floor by the end of the fight while the green aura dissipated from Yun's body.

Yun looked over at his opponent, who had fought valiantly with all the strength he had as well, and breathed a sigh of relief. The dumbfounded crowd apprehensively applauded his efforts while the Academy's headmaster declared Yun the new champion. Yun looked over to Liu Bei and his mentors who all joyously cheered Yun on from start to finish. A new tale in history was about to unfold.


	5. The Enemy of My Enemy

The opening ceremonies had come to a close as students filed out of the auditorium. Yun and the others of his clan followed closely behind the Shu Headmasters as they journeyed to their new home. A late moonlight shone from upon high in the clear night skies to reveal their path. The students trotted onward in a lively beat. Yun was occasionally approached at the front by one or sometimes several inspired admirers. A gratified handshake, a few chummily high fives, and bountiful words of praise were hurled indiscriminately in his direction.

"ZHAO YUN! ZHAO YUN! Oh what a great warrior is he! The one who defeated King Cao Pi!" One student broke out into song.

"ZHAO YUN! ZHAO YUN! Oh what a great warrior is he! The one who defeated King Cao Pi!" The other boys excitedly joined in. Their words bellowed into the distance. An exuberant pride reached the hearts and minds of the students from rival houses.

Yun smiled at the improvised performance and quietly basked in his new found glory. Meanwhile, his stomach began to growl like a ferocious beast that yearned desperately for release. A single hand clutched to his empty stomach while it rumbled. His groans were drowned out by a repetitious chorus.

Naturally, his thoughts turned to their upcoming meal. Remembering the many plates of appetizers offered at the main building, his mouth watered in anticipation of what certainly would be an even grander presentation. Perhaps there would be a great, big tray of dough-wrapped pork buns, he thought to himself. Or maybe it would be a spectacular feast upon a plump and succulent roasted chicken. By the powers of imagination, the fictional dinner table of his dreams could be filled with any combination of delectable cuisine. However, it failed to change the sad reality of things.

Yet time marched onward to the beat of its own drum. Here too did it continue to drag along. A spirited mood was crushed like the steps of their soon blistered feet against the unrelenting top soil. They traversed together over several kilometres through a never ending meadow without as much as a single building in their foresight. Exacerbated panting within the group set a new precedent for the night.

_Liu Bei looked back at his students, already were they slumped. A constant wave of groans was accentuated by their sloth like mobility. It was much alike defeat before the battle had even begun._

"We're not far now!" He tried to encourage his beleaguered squad, but with no response. A worried sigh left his breath as he pondered their seemingly grave future.

Headmasters Yu and Fei maintained pace throughout their trek. They've remained quiet up to this point. A low-pitched grunt moved from their throats in a timely manner. Liu Bei surmised their thoughts ran along the same lines.

"As I figured, their bodies aren't ready for the physical toll" Guan Yu finally lamented as he gently ran his meaty fingers along the fine wisps of his full-grown beard. He continued to stare deeply upon the path ahead as if in the midst of great thought.

"What's more, Yun's victory tonight will have both Wei and Wu eager to match. I imagine Cao Cao is already preparing his students as we speak"

"As for how far our students will grow this year…well, only time will tell"

"Bah! They'll be fine. Kids need a bit of motivation from time to time, just watch this… " Zhang Fei reassured them in defiance of his fellow headmaster's insinuation. He glanced back at his students in their pathetic advance; a determined gleam appeared in his eyes. Bei and Yu then turned to him with expressions of curiosity. "GET MOVING YOU SLACKERS!"

The harsh momentum of his shouting smashed at full strength into the immediate front row of students. They were instantly swept from their feet by a powerful and disorienting pressure that assaulted their ear drums near the point of rupture. Those who were caught behind the crowd toppled over one by one like a lineup of dominoes.

Liu Bei and Guan Yu glanced at each other knowingly and laughed to themselves. They watched with a lighthearted joy as their students landed firmly onto their backs. Headmaster Fei rubbed his hands together and observed the final results of his efforts with a tremendous sense of pride.

"That's Zhang Fei for you…" Master Bei remarked with a distinctively telling grin.

"Yep! Looks like I still got it!" Fei smiled from ear to ear. His hands latched around the sides of his hips in a grand pose of triumph.

"Loud and brazen as always, is there even a single warrior in the land who wouldn't falter to your might?" Guan Yu posed rhetorically.

The students of the Shu body lazed away on the ground. Their street clothes were dampened by the humidity in the air. A pleading look reached their eyes for a moment of silence and locked in line with their masters.

"Perhaps we should stop and let them take a break" Liu Bei mentioned offhandedly to his co-leaders after he thoroughly scanned the pained faces amongst his crowd.

"No!" Yun said as he hopped to his feet with a reinvigorated passion. "We must endure this pain in the name of honour!"

"That's right! If we ever want to compete with Wei and Wu, this is what we'll have to do!" Fei added.

"I suppose you have a point, but…"

"You all heard the kid, get off your asses and move!" Zhang Fei took to the forefront in the commanding of his fellow students. They eventually rose to their feet in a fearful haste, afraid of what Fei was capable of doing to them if they hadn't. Onwards they trekked along a ceaseless journey.

Yun suddenly felt a gentle poke to his sides; they ached from the burn of Cao Pi's aggressive slashing. A small statured boy appeared into view. His face was familiar, spotted many moments ago.

"It's you again!?" Yun thought back to the beginning of the opening ceremonies, the boy was stood with the other newest members of Shu as he had made his decision to join.

"C-congratulations on your victory tonight" The boy spoke in a mild tone only slightly louder than a whisper.

"Thanks! Cao Pi is very strong, I hope to duel him again someday!" Yun reflected fondly upon his experience.

"Be careful what you wish for…" The boy worriedly gazed into Yun's very soul as though he were waltzing straight into his demise.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"The Cao family are not very gracious losers. I heard they will go to any lengths to exact their revenge"

A brief silence overcame him as Yun pondered the meaning of that statement. It was true that he had taken the reigns of the academy's number one. Everyone would be training to defeat him in a duel. The thought of constantly being chased tingled in his spine and caused the hairs on his neck to stand firmly vigilant. An invisible force pressed down on him gradually as the atmosphere became overwhelmed by an unnerving anxiety. Could this have been how Cao Pi had felt all along? Yun wondered…

_…_

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Cao Pi proclaimed furiously as he punched through the glass of his extensive trophy case with a bare fist. There was a small explosion of shards that tossed chaotically around the room. A jagged piece sliced cleanly in between the webbing of his thumb and index finger. Blood trickled from the open cut and stained the crevices in his palm red. "I…lost!"

He was numbed to the burning sensation in his hand as the weight of an entire world's shame bore onto his young shoulders. His fingers wrapped around the outer edges of a large, golden monumental piece – a symbol of his previous excellence in past competitions. Cao Pi proceeded to pull it out from the gaping hole he had just created. A pair of murderous eyes scanned the contents of the award written along the bottom.

"Duel Tournament Champion, what does it mean to me anymore…" Cao Pi released it from his hands. It hit the floor with the impact of a high-pitched metallic clang. He raised his left foot off the ground just above it and paused. "…now that I'm not?"

The sole of his foot hammered with might upon the prone trophy. It was reduced to a pile of golden dust beneath him. Then, he grabbed another one. Like before, he held it in his hand; he stared deeply into its empty words of praise. The flames of malice charred him from within and left behind the bitter taste of someone who has lost everything.

"Where do I go from here? Or perhaps this was meant to be the end…" The trophy broke its fall on the floor of his spacious room. The pile of golden dust grew once more. A third found its way into his hands.

"Father…are you proud of me?!" The tears welled up in the base of his eyes. A single droplet rolled along his smoothed cheeks before it fell from his face. "Father?!"

"I was supposed to win and win and win and WIN!" He fell to his knees in a sobbing wreck. His fist pounded his blood tarnished flooring in a deranged repetition. "No weakness, no defeat, always win! That's what you always told me, wasn't it? So why?! Why couldn't I be everything you wanted me to be?!"

He thought back to the end of that fateful duel, as his almost lifeless body was carried away by his entourage. The audience that once chanted his name in chorus now eyed him mockingly. In the eyes of the nation, he was no longer a king, but less than the tiniest speck of dirt. They would all come to remember this day as the first, the first time Cao Pi had ever lost. Though perhaps the worst feeling of all had come from the last person he had seen prior to losing consciousness. The glare of his disappointed father spoke more truths than ten thousand hate filled words could describe.

"Forgive me…father!" The boy fell onto his back. He laid on the floor of his room above the golden debris, the bits of glass, and the blood that flowed out of his veins. A window of light poured in from the outside and illuminated his tear soaked eyes.

Then there was a knock on his door. Cao Pi hoped it wasn't him; he wasn't about to be seen in such a miserable state. He looked to the door in a hushed discontent as he awaited his fate.

"Master Cao Pi, your presence is required in the dining hall" The low rumbling voice of Cao Ren, father's first cousin in a very complicated manner of lineage, travelled through the door.

"Leave me be" Pi staunchly replied.

"Master Cao Pi! Master Cao Pi!" Cao Ren struggled with the door knob only to find it refused to budge an inch. He resorted to pounding on the door with a close ended fist. "Master Cao Pi, your father has asked me to-"

"I said, leave!" A more harsh response struck closely to the man's heart strings.

He sighed in defeat and eventually complied. He slowly departed for the Wei dorm dining hall. The room was dimly lit and people spoke quietly. A single table stretched around twenty feet long was positioned in the middle of the room. The table was dressed in a blue and white cloth and topped by several burning candles. Cao Cao sat in a chair on the far side. Also present at the table were other members of Wei who adorned the standard blue uniforms. An awkward silence overcame the moment, only interrupted by the clanging of fragile plates that rustled back and forth in the kitchen.

At that very moment, Cao Ren locked eyes with him. A threatening glare greeted the man coldly in his entrance. The other members paused as well to acknowledge his presence. All ears awaited further deliberation.

"Where is my son?" Cao Cao pointedly questioned him. His words flowed from the tongue with a razor sharp intent.

"My apologies, Master Cao Cao" Ren fell to one knee and spoke in a plea. He held his head low in submission as he responded. "Master Cao Pi has expressed his wishes to be excluded from tonight's meeting"

Everyone turned to witness Cao Cao's reaction to the matter, a bit of hesitation in the mood created a fitful suspense. His face was devoid of all telltale signs; eyes closed as if his mind had pondered the situation. Then, he simply gave Xun Yu a slight nod and signalled for him to take things over. People within the group exhaled in relief as the meeting continued seemingly unabated. The boy unraveled a map of the academy's boundaries along the table. The locations of each building and the necessary topographical data were highlighted clearly with red markings. All of the members gathered around intently to analyze the given information.

"It appears as though the Shu dorm has finally become a threat to our supremacy. We must act with haste!" The boy grievously spoke; he presented separate photos of Zhao Yun and his handcrafted spear in order to drive his point across. "I have devised a plan for such an occasion"

Cao Cao watched as the plans were being drawn. Occasionally he would nod his head and a small but scheming grin would reach his stoic features. Xun Yu dabbed his index finger along the outline of the Shu dorm as he continued debriefing.

"The Shu's will have already arrived at their dorm. Using their celebration dinner as a distraction, a small team of our men will infiltrate Yun's dorm room and steal his spear while they are preoccupied at the party"

"And how exactly will we know which room is his?" The blonde haired pretty-boy sitting cross-legged beside him, known as Guo Jia, inquired.

"I've already arranged for a team of spies to tail their group and provide us with the details" The third year senior responded with a grin.

From the other end of the table, Yue Jin and Li Dian made purposeful eye contact. With a single, but rigorous nod of their heads, the two pushed down upon the wooden table and made a valiant stand. Their sudden outburst garnered the attention of the other members.

"Allow us to handle this!" Yue Jin excitedly requested.

"What?!" Xun Yu flared with incredulousness.

"We promise everything will go as planned!" Li Dian added with a winning smile.

"And what makes you think Master Cao Cao would-"

"Very well," Cao Cao quickly interrupted him. "I will assign you two to this very important task, do not fail me" His final warning tickled at the base of their spines.

"Master Cao Cao!" Xun Yu attempted to plead his case. He was shot with a quick but intensive stare from the dorm's Headmaster and backed down immediately.

"As honorary members of Wei, we shall succeed!" Jin and Dian said in unison as they bowed before their superiors.

..

The group had finally ascended the steep hill and now stood at the front entrance of their new home. The building was just two stories high and looked more like a glorified toolshed. The exterior walls were lined with slowly deteriorating concrete. Equally concerning was the rickety old staircase that led to the second floor walkway, Yun figured it would probably collapse sometime soon. The rooftop had also apparently seen better days, he thought. Many of its drab coloured shingles had been dislodged and were scattered all over the place. He counted ten sets of doors in total, that meant just ten rooms were available amongst the entire crowd of students. As if all of these aspects were not enough of a hindrance by themselves, tall trees imposed their will on all sides to completely nullify any chance of a decent view of the campus.

"Heh?!" One student groaned in disgust. "This is where we're staying?!"

"We don't even get our own rooms…" Another complained.

"This is unfair!" A third angrily protested this injustice that had suddenly befallen all of them.

"Welcome to Shu! I know it isn't much to see, but I do hope you make yourselves comfortable" Liu Bei turned to his new students with a joyous smile and ignored all of the rude remarks subsequently. "Please take your pick of the rooms, but be ready to share with others!"

There was a bit of hesitation before the students had begun to take off in a mad sprint to secure their respective rooms. Yun noticed a small, open room with tables and chairs on the ground floor and rushed over to see what it was. He came across a sign above the doorway which read "Cafeteria", when suddenly he had an idea. Yun stopped at the room just beside the cafeteria; it was an ideal location to be next to the food on a daily basis. In fact, he found it odd that everyone else appeared to ignore what was clearly the best location in the entire dorm. The boy praised himself for his refined intuitions.

"I, Zhao Yun, claim this room in the name of honour!" The boy announced with a satisfied grin on his face. His plans had so easily come into fruition.

Another boy approached the room as well. He was both tall and leanly muscular. He acted with a sense of self-confidence and regality unlike anyone Yun had ever met. His movements were dictated by a keen and determined eye, direct and unwavering – certainly a force to be reckoned with.

"If you claim this room in the name of honour, then I, Ma Chao, shall claim it in the name of justice!" The boy called out to the stars above as he raised his spear in a triumphant victory pose. His brilliant blonde hair glistened magnificently in the moonlight.

"I guess that makes us roommates then!"

"It's a true privilege to be sharing a room with you, King Zhao Yun!" Ma Chao yelled rather enthusiastically.

"L-Likewise…" Yun was taken aback by the way in which he commanded his tone. There were many similarities to Zhang Fei's methods.

Just then, a small laugh interrupted their budding conversation. They turned to find Liu Bei and his fellow masters in a state of considerable amusement. Yun and Chao stared back at their mentors in conspicuously apparent confusion.

"I'm afraid neither of you will be claiming that room" Guan Yu was the first to have broken the news.

"WHAT?!" Yun and Chao shouted at once in unison of disbelief.

"That room is reserved for dorm headmasters only" Liu Bei chuckled softly. His long fingers pointed at the marked label above the door which further indicated its belonging. A look of sympathy appeared in his eyes as he watched their faces go blank with realization.

"So beat it, unless you feel like sleeping outside!" Zhang Fei scolded with a gruffly bark.

"But…" Yun and Chao whined at once.

"I don't want to hear it, so scram!"

Yun and Chao sighed in disappointment, but figured there was nothing more for them to gain from this interaction. After some moments, they eventually complied and restarted their search for a new room to spend their days. By that time however, the majority of the rooms had already been claimed…except for one. A single room located on the farthest end of the second floor, popularly considered to be the absolute worst location in the entire dorm. They stood in front of the door into their new room as they found themselves anticipating what shabby accommodations would await them on the other side.

The door opened with an eerily slow creak and the two boys ventured into a realm of the unknown. Lighting their way was a small bulb of light that was attached to the ceiling. It was dim and flickered at frequent intervals. Among the first things they noticed on their way inside was the monstrously sized triple-layered bunk bed stacked against the far right corner of the room. To the left, barely further than an arm's length away, was a compact writing desk to place their books. Besides that, it appeared as though there wasn't much else in store for them.

"It's simple, but it has all the essentials" Yun commented.

"Fine by me!" Ma Chao replied with a grin as he nonchalantly tossed a bag full of his belongings on the topmost bed. "We don't need much else to get by on our own!"

"Um, e-excuse me…" A soft voice called mysteriously from above. Yun and Chao stopped immediately and turned their heads in search for the source.

"Who's there?!"

"Did somebody throw their bag up here?" A small dark haired boy rose into a seated position on the top bed holding Chao's worldly possessions. His innocently wavering eyes caught Yun's attention straight away.

"You're…" Yun had begun to speak.

"Zhao Yun?" The boy replied in the same string of confusion.

"You know each other?"

"We've met before" Yun nodded in reply, he promptly returned his attention to the boy who sat on the top bunk bed. "But I don't believe I ever got your name the last time we spoke"

"My name? My name is Xu Shu, not that it's really important to know or anything…" He said with a forlorn hope.

"Xu Shu huh? I see…" Ma Chao eyed him in question. Evidently the lack of eye contact from the other end had become unsettling. Truly it could only be described as a magnetic work of convenience which brought these two together. "Well, I look forward to a day where we may fight as rivals and train as friends!"

Yun remained largely in the background as the two continued to converse, albeit somewhat awkwardly, with each other. He saw that Xu Shu was wearing a distinctive green outfit unlike the street clothes he wore along the journey to Shu and wondered when he had the time to change. Out of the corner of his eye, Yun noticed that a white paint-chipped folding door located adjacent to the bed was cracked ajar. Out of curiosity, he decided to investigate.

He pried the obstruction apart with his hands and was granted access to a dark closet. Two large and transparent plastic bags were hung against a steel rod by a wiry hook. Both of the bags appeared to be filled with contents that were left in a rather unusually pristine condition for what was typical around here. Additionally, a third plastic bag was left on the closet floor although its open zipper suggested that the contents had already been rifled through. Yun grabbed hold of one bag and proceeded to unhook it before unzipping the final restriction.

Revealed from within was a Shu uniform with the dragon emblem and specialty Han Academy crest stitched over the heart. The uniform itself of a simple white dress shirt, a green and black button up jacket, a pair of olive green dress pants, then completed with a reasonably respectable pair of black leather dress shoes and matching socks.

"Are those our uniforms? They're splendid!" Chao's interests piqued as he watched Yun lay each article out neatly along the floor.

Seemingly in a flash, the two donned their new outfits. A new spark of hope reached out to them as they stood together in the same room, the true feeling of settlement made to the forefronts of their thoughts.

"With this, we shall unite ourselves under Shu and serve loyally for our master's ambitions!" Yun proudly declared.

"We shall drive ourselves with a relentlessly burning passion in our training to grow stronger!" Ma Chao was quick to respond.

"Together…"

"Now and forever…"

"Our wishes take flight; till our last breath will we fight!" Yun rallied at the height of their chant. A surge of raw emotions and adrenaline ran wildly through their veins. Moments later, they heard a knock on the door.

"Dinner will be served very soon, please report to the cafeteria" It was the voice of Liu Bei who advised them.

"Alright, let's go!" Yun and Chao screamed together as they immediately bolted from the room. Xu Shu watched them leave from his sight. In the rush of hunger, the two boys had already forgotten about him. He decided to turn off the light and get some rest before they returned.

…

The once empty chairs in the cafeteria all now held hungry and eager students waiting to eat. The duo managed to find their seats in a remote corner of the room apart from the congregation of tables. Noise of excited chit-chat filled the air along with the wafting scent of cooked food. They admired the wonderful smells that came from the kitchen as they contemplated what it could have been.

Meanwhile, Yue Jin watched their actions carefully from his cover within the surrounding forest. He peered at them through his binoculars. For the moment at least, it didn't appear as though the Shu's were aware of the situation.

"The Shu party is about to begin" He reported to Xun Yu over a portable transceiver.

"Excellent. Get the spear and return to the dorm, make sure you're not spotted by _anyone_! Leave no witnesses" The clever strategist ordered back at his subordinate.

"I understand" The boy replied, almost robotically, as he continued the reconnaissance.

Li Dian exercised caution as he snuck in beside his partner in crime. He carried a large blue duffle bag strapped to his shoulder and a small, white envelope was stashed discreetly in his youthful hands. He moved to scan its contents quickly in search of crucial details gathered from Xun Yu's spy team.

"Second floor, last room on the right, that's where we need to go" Dian whispered.

Yue Jin moved his binoculars to get a clear glimpse of the target. A smirk curled at his lips as he anticipated their next move.

"Alright! Let's get moving!"

Jin and Dian tip-toed cautiously towards the staircase which lined the side of the building. They were mortified when their first steps on the staircase were met with the eery cries of pain by the old, rickety structure. However, pushing forward, they eventually reached the target room. Breached up against the door, they exchanged understanding glances as Li Dian reached for the door knob. From there, the two moved with haste as access was granted to them.

"We'll find the spear and then get out" Yue Jin whispered as he fetched a flash light from his pocket. They searched the room with a spotlight's guide when Yun's spear was found leaned against the back wall. Li Dian rejoiced quietly before he shoved the spear into the empty duffle bag.

"Huh?" Xu Shu rolled over in confusion; he saw two shadowed outlines stood in the room with him. "Yun? Chao? What are you guys doing here…?"

"Shit! We've been spotted!" Li Dian jumped at the disturbance. His heart raced in a runner's rhythym.

"W-what's going on here?!" Xu Shu questioned the two strange men in his room.

"Leave no witnesses…" Yue Jin spoke threateningly as he and Dian proceeded to drag Xu Shu from his bed and punched him repeatedly until they were satisfied that he was unconscious. "We'll have to take him with us"

"But…" Li Dian meagrely protested.

"Xun Yu will be angry if he finds out that we were spotted" Jin spat back at his partner in annoyance. He grabbed hold of the Shu boy and carried him over his muscular shoulders while they made their great escape.

Soon they had grown tired of running, they had at least reached the main building and out of sight from the Shu dorm. Yue Jin softly laid Xu Shu's unconscious form along the ground as they stopped for a quick breather.

"The prefects…will be…on their curfew guard soon" Li Dian spoke in between heavy panting.

"We don't have very far left to go now…"

"Master Cao Cao shall be pleased to know we have secured Zhao Yun's spear!" The two boys roared in laughter.

"So that's what you're up to then!" A mysterious voice called out to them.

"What?!"

"It's quite the underhanded plan, as expected from a band of Wei dogs…" Another voice joined in.

The Wei boys bounced to their feet and unsheathed their arms. Their eyes searched vigilantly in the area for signs of life. From the darkness and the shadows, two students dressed in red uniforms appeared before them. The eyes on Jin and Dian's heads bulged in fear when they spotted the unwelcoming glare of Sun Ce. He was also accompanied by another student whose body language revealed a strikingly calm and collected aura, confident that the situation stood in their favour.

"Well Zhou Yu, what should we do with these guys?" Ce turned to his partner of Wu in inquiry, a flashy white smile etched forever in his face.

"There's only one thing we can do Ce…" Zhou Yu glared daggers at the nervously sweating pair from Wei. He raised his wooden staff into a combat stance "Duel!"


	6. Power of Unity vs Pride of the Elite!

_The Wei boys bounced to their feet and unsheathed their arms. Their eyes searched vigilantly in the area for signs of life. From the darkness and the shadows, two students dressed in red uniforms appeared before them. The eyes on Jin and Dian's heads bulged in fear when they spotted the unwelcoming glare of Sun Ce. He was also accompanied by another student whose body language revealed a strikingly calm and collected aura, confident that the situation stood in their favour._

_"Well Zhou Yu, what should we do with these guys?" Ce turned to his partner of Wu in inquiry, a flashy white smile etched forever in his face._

_"There's only one thing we can do Ce…" Zhou Yu glared daggers at the nervously sweating pair from Wei. He raised his wooden staff into a combat stance "Duel!"_

…

Zhou Yu's long, slender fingers flicked upwards on a small light switch bolted against the walls of the darkened room. Hung from the ceiling, lights flashed into action. Row upon row, fragments were lit and showcased in pieces. Yue Jin and Li Dian had taken lead in their pace down the room's descending aisles. The stage of their conflict laid dazzlingly at the end, its internal mechanisms suddenly sprung into life. All of the room's circuits moved frenetically with every aspect of their surroundings now revealed in the open.

"This is…" Jin mouthed quietly to himself as he observed, with a pair of wide eyes, the many empty seats that resided in the stands around the stage. The familiarity was rather uncanny.

"Yes, this is the duel auditorium." Zhou Yu affirmed with a slight tinge of delight as he took into view the feelings of uneasiness that plagued his opponent's thoughts. Sun Ce moved with due diligence and firmly secured a long, metal pipe between the door handles. The boys of Wei jumped at the sudden yet calculated move to trap them inside. Yu's lips curled with a bone chilling satisfaction. "And now, there is nowhere to escape."

"Shit! So this was your intention all along…" Li Dian snarled upon the devious ploy that had essentially blindsided them in the process.

"Exactly! Yet you walked into our trap so blindly. I can see now that Cao Cao has recruited obedient lapdogs to do his dirty work"

"What? Lapdogs?! Don't underestimate us…" Yue Jin's face burned in a bright shade of crimson. His inner eyebrows curled in a tense, downward motion and nearly bridged together at the centre point between the eyes. His fists were curled into a vice grip hold, they shook with an earthquake's intensity.

"We're the Regional Champion and runner-up don't'cha know?!" Li Dian pointed an accusing finger towards their captors. His teeth clenched with force between one another. A pair of heavy glares from both Jin and Dian retaliated in their defense.

"Then prove it." Sun Ce replied.

"What?"

"Then prove it." He repeated. With a pair of his personal tonfa in hand, he marched down the aisle staircase until he appeared face to face. Zhou Yu then approached to the side of his ally. Together, a new wave of invigorated passion surged between them. "If you have what it takes to call yourselves champions, you'd accept our challenge!"

"In the event that you manage to defeat us in a tag duel, we will leave you alone. But, if we win, you will release the boy and hand over Zhao Yun's spear" Zhou Yu proposed.

Off to the side, the boy from Shu remained unconscious; his body slumped motionlessly in a chair next to Yun's spear. It was hard to say when exactly he would regain his wits. Furthermore, what would he make of such a situation if he were to awaken right at this very moment?

_"That's right; Sun Ce was a finalist in the National Championship. Using his tonfas, there's no telling what kind of massive combo he'll pull! Our original mission was to steal Zhao Yun's spear…" _Li Dian analyzed his opponents carefully. _"…But, if we stole Ce's tonfas, Wu and Shu would have no way to oppose us!"_

"Very well, but there will be an additional condition in this duel…" Dian said with a mischievous grin on his face. The plan was already in motion. "…if you lose, you will surrender both of your prized weapons to us"

"What?!" The boys of Wu responded in unison. Their jaws dropped low as they stared with incredulousness at the most recent turn of events.

"We believe that is an acceptable compromise. Unless, of course, you'd rather surrender…" Yue Jin said.

"Unforgivable! I won't let you lay a single finger on a duelist's pride and soul!" Sun Ce growled with the fury of a pouncing tiger. "Let's go, Zhou Yu!"

"We will show them the power of unity!" Zhou Yu rallied in return.

Adrenaline coursed from within each of the duelists. They proceeded to the duel field. The moments leading up to battle dwindled away in the distance of time and space. They all fell into fighting stances. What would become of their conflict?

_GONG!_

The battle began; the two pairs charged each other at once! Yue Jin's hook blades came into direct contact with Ce's tonfas. Their muscles strained as a fierce deadlock ensued between them. A relentless and powerful force eventually drove Jin back several feet. He stumbled along his heels the entire way. Each wobbly step teetered precariously along the fine lines of balance and total disaster. Ce grinned and pressed his advantage.

"Take this, Tiger Stun Combo!" He pushed forward with a quick barrage against his guard. The butt end of his tonfas connected square with Jin's chest. The wind of his breath was unceremoniously forced from his lungs as he clutched onto his knees in the midst of battle. Ce followed with a powerful uppercut that connected with the boy's jaw and sent him in a backwards spiraled fall.

Meanwhile, Zhou Yu rose to his feet once again. His ego ached from the mocking laughter which flowed freely from Li Dian's lungs. Another wave of electrical shock infiltrated his system with cutting precision. The weight of his body grew heavier in time. An opportunistic gleam reached his opponent's eyes. Yu let out a short and uneven grunt as he watched the enemy movements with the utmost of attention. The prized bronze-studded staff laid across the front of his body like a wall in preparation for the attack.

"Are you ready? Noble Slash! Guard Break combo!" Li Dian yelled. He wound up and swung his halberd with a great momentum behind.

A multitude of sharpened spikes adorned on each of the halberd's spinning wheels passed one after the other in a frenzied rotation. The sound of roaring metal was their war cry, the mark of desire to earn their victim's agonized screams. A blinding light refracted from its surfaces and consumed Yu's vision for just a half second, little more than the blink of an eye. However, it was more than enough to leave him out of position while the pending attack drew closer to his throat. Just then, the boy from Wu pushed hard upon the balls of his feet. He seemed to glide like the gentle dance of a plucked flower petal in a calm breeze as he landed a few feet behind from his starting point. A gust of wind was forced against his long, silky hair and smooth skin as the sharp blades of Dian's halberd edged the contours of his head.

"You've left yourself wide open!" Zhou Yu declared. Another surge of adrenaline raced through his body as he moved with haste to execute a counterattack.

"You sure about that?" He replied with a suspiciously collected aura of his own.

"What? A trap?!"

"Face the flames of your own demise, Musou Ranbu! Imperial Fire!"

The boy swung again, a pair of spiked wheels was shot out from the halberd's inner holsters. Their razor sharp edges sliced along the floor of the duel field with a high pitched squeal. In a crisscross motion, they arched for Yu's exposed flanks. They moved in near supersonic speeds as the spikes dug into the soft fabric of his red uniform.

"AAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!" He proclaimed in a blood-curdling scream before he fell to the ground.

"Well, I guess that was all you had…" Li Dian stared down his wounded foe with a narrowed gaze. His gloved hand moved to stifle the yawn that exhaled from his mouth. Afterwards, he raised his weapon high into the air for the final finishing blow.

"Blazing Charge!" Suddenly, Sun Ce dove into the action and his tonfas were imbued with the power of fire. In a ball of flames, he torpedoed straight into Dian's right side. The tall, slender boy was thrown away, his body slammed onto the duel field. Ce then turned to his wounded ally.

"Ce…" Zhou Yu whispered softly to his friend. With considerable strain to the constricted muscles in his body, he titled his head upwards by just a few inches to gain a better look at the bright smile that greeted him.

"Heh, looks like you had a bit of trouble with that one!" Ce motioned his head to the other boy who was still sprawled about on the floor. He let out a brief chuckle before he extended an empty hand toward his partner. "You alright?"

"Sun Ce, you'll pay for ignoring me!" Another voice ruined the moment. Yue Jin shouted as he rushed in to strike Ce's exposed backside. The very tip of his hook blades sunk into his flesh where he incurred a considerable shockwave. "I'm not done yet. EX Attack: Swift Slashing!"

Yue Jin caught hold of Ce's body in mere moments before it landed on the duel field. Slashing upwards into the air, he sliced Ce's defenseless backside once again. He followed up with a downward slash to his chest. The imprint of several cuts marred his handsome physique. Sun Ce hit the ground hard, the shockwaves intensified as a result.

Li Dian jumped to his feet. He glanced over at Zhou Yu, who was more or less incapacitated. His attention then turned to Sun Ce. One versus two, the match was much closer to their grasp. The boy of Wei made his return into the battle ensuing.

Sun Ce remained on his feet for the time being. The sweat on his forehead flowed down his face rigorously. His heart rate sped up considerably as well. Yue Jin and Li Dian had begun to circle around him. Their smug grins were there to meet his eyes no matter which way he turned. Where was he to attack? Where was he to defend? These pressing concerns remained fresh on his mind. A brief pause in the action occurred as tensions thickened in the air.

Then, from behind, Dian swung his halberd in Ce's direction. His ears detected the menacing roar of many buzzsaws spinning at once. With a 180 degree spin, Ce turned to meet the attacker. The Wu boy ducked from the first swing driven towards his head. He then used his tonfas to deflect the next swing before he executed a four hit combo to momentarily deal with the nuisance.

"You're hunting the wrong tiger! I won't back down from any challenge!" He announced with an elated victory pose. Dian's groans of pain served as the background music for his latest success.

"That's what makes you the perfect target!"

Sun Ce gasped at his evident mistake. Yue Jin sprinted at Ce's exposed backside once again. The claws of his hook blade ripped Ce apart in a fury of aggressive slashes. The impact sent him through the air. The boy landed next to the feet of Li Dian, who was already in position for the next attack.

"Aerial Charge Attack!" Li Dian leapt into the air. His halberd swayed about with a violent temptation. The velocity of his descent foretold of the impending pain that would consume his entire body. As the spiked wheels connected with his chest, Ce was electrocuted by a high-voltage charge that ran from head to toe. A long, anguished yell broke loose from his lungs and echoed repetitiously through the room.

Zhou Yu watched as the unfair fight between Ce and the boys from Wei raged onward. He observed with a heavy-heart as his friend endured a double dosage of suffering. Yu inwardly cringed with each pained shout that left Ce's body. His previously suffered wounds produced a newfound ache that seemed to synchronize with his partner's misfortune.

"Must…get…up! Must…help…Ce!" Zhou Yu said in a hoarse tone between long, exasperated breaths. He worked to bring his legs closer to a sitting position. However, a severe tightness in his hamstrings struck him as he did so. He let out a yelp as his legs flopped into a straightened position. Alas, Yu was forced to reconsider his actions. Left without any other choice, Yu checked in on Ce's current situation.

He blocked an incoming slash attack to his head by Yue Jin, and then he immediately responded with a well-timed counterattack. However, Li Dian had taken this chance to grind into Ce's back with the sharp edges of his halberd. The result, much like before, remained with Ce on the floor as his own battle suit dealt the majority of the damage.

"_That idiot! This fight is too much for him to handle alone, but he refuses to quit anyway…I suppose it has always been this way, ever since that time…"_

…

_It was a bright, sunny summer afternoon outside of the Sun family manor many years ago. A young Ce held one of his father's prized antique swords in his hand. The blade's cumbersome edge dragged along the ground behind him as he walked. He struggled and strained, yet despite his best efforts, Ce was unable to lift the sword by even an inch from the ground. Zhou Yu supressed a chuckle with his hand as he idly listened to Ce's exacerbated complaints._

_"Hey! Are you laughing at me?!" Ce raised his voice in a huff. His fists curled tightly against the very sword handle which they clasped. The veins of his white-knuckled hands shoved with obstinacy against the thin walls of covering skin tissue. A low pitched groan of disapproval was exuded from his voice. This only made Yu laugh even harder than before. If only his hands were not so preoccupied, Ce thought to himself…_

_"No, it's nothing…" Zhou Yu replied with another laugh suppressed smile. He had to avert his gaze with Ce in order to avoid drawing his willful ire. _

_"I'd like to see you try and lift it…" The young boy muttered dejectedly to himself. Ce felt Yu's forearm suddenly bar cross his chest and they stopped walking in the middle of the empty village street. He glanced back at Ce with a wider smile and a pair of uplifted eyes. The same hand which halted Ce's advance now reached downward to grab onto the sword's handle. Ce watched blankly as he did so. "Huh? What are you…?"_

_Ce had begun to question. But before long, he felt the weight on his weary arms begin to subside and a new, unusual sensation to take its place. The sword's shadow had begun to move in front of them, it also grew in size. He paused and stared up at the sword's edge which now pointed towards the sky rather than the ground. The realization dawned upon him a few seconds later as his face transitioned from confusion to an innocent bout of joy. Ce was rendered speechless by the simple miracle they had just accomplished._

_"A problem too difficult to burden alone can always be solved with the help of friends. As long as we are together, nothing is too great of a challenge" Yu explained. Together, they stared up at the antique sword with a hopeful excitement. Forever would it be known as the symbol of the power of unity._

_"In that case, let's swear an oath, Zhou Yu… to have each other's backs no matter what!" Ce proclaimed passionately to the world and the universe beyond._

_"Though we are not of the same blood, we are united as brothers! I shall follow you wherever you may lead!" Yu yelled with the same sense of energy._

…

"_Right…I swore on that oath many years ago," _

Zhou Yu rolled onto his stomach. The palm of his hands pressed gingerly against the cold, sheet metal surface of the duel field. Ce alone maintained their struggle, even knowing full well it was a downhill battle. Yu's heart had begun to throb in response to his sworn brother. It was as though his mind was trying to relay an important message to the rest of the body.

"_Now the time has come…" _

With any reserve power he could muster, Yu slowly rose onto his knees. The severe constriction in his hamstrings re-emerged. However, the feeling paled in comparison to what Ce had surely endured throughout this entire fight – yet he still continued despite that. So, with slow and deep breaths, he moved onto all fours. Naturally, the pain increased the more he moved against his conscious desires.

"_I must live up to the promise I made!"_

It was a leap of faith with the entire match at stake – including their weapons and pride. An abrupt grunt was let out as he stretched slowly with the legs to move further into an upright position. The force of gravity had set up a brilliantly equipped fortress to hold him away from the lines. Although just as Ce had done for him, Zhou Yu pushed forward with a strong sense of determination. From there, a narrow gap was painstakingly created. In the next moment, he found himself back on two feet in but another triumph of unity. He grabbed his bronze studded staff, his eyes locked firmly onto the battle nearby.

"Tiger Uppercut!" Ce roared as he clipped Li Dian in the jaw. But it was doomed to be history repeating itself. Yue Jin immediately rushed in from behind as Ce engaged the other. He braced himself for the impending strike.

A flash of red suddenly appeared at the corner of his eye. A disarranged Zhou Yu stepped in to block Yue Jin's motion and held him in a deadlock.

"You should really watch your back more often…" Yu gritted his teeth as he pressed against Jin's hookblades. The boys of Wei went wide-eyed at his unthinkable intrusion.

"I thought we said we'd watch each other's backs?" Sun Ce replied with a lighthearted chuckle.

"You're still fighting?! Impossible!" Li Dian held an expression of disbelief.

"Allow us to demonstrate the power of unity!" Sun Ce gave Zhou Yu a knowing look between close friends, no…between brothers.

"Two forces become one! Seize the opportunity ahead! Double Musou! Tiger Fists! Hellfire!" Sun Ce and Zhou Yu charged toward their enemies with the guidance of the passionately burning fire that represented their lasting brotherhood.

Li Dian and Yue Jin were barraged by a multitude of fire-powered attacks and helpless to their every whim. It seemed never ending and yet it did, their unconscious forms marked the grand finale. The dynamic duo sighed in great relief with the knowledge that they had won the wager. They were suddenly startled by a series of loud banging noises. The metal rod which held the main doors shut had been broken into the two and the doors had burst open.

"Quick, get the spear and leave everything else!" Zhou Yu ordered.

Ce glanced over to where it had been previously left by Dian and Jin.

"It's gone." Ce stated with horror.

Zhou Yu frantically searched the rather large auditorium for where it could have gone and soon realized this to be true, the boy from Shu was also strangely missing from the picture. In addition, there appeared to be a rather suspicious opening in the nearby ceiling vent. Surely, that was the culprit's escape plan – he thought to himself.

"Stop!" A prefect called out to Ce and Zhou Yu.

"Don't move!" Another shouted with unprotested authority.

They were swiftly detained by the crew of guards, surrendering without a fight. It was well known that the curfew laws at Han Academy were quite strict. The punishment for their actions would be substantial, if only that had also included the discipline Sun Jian would bestow upon them later on.

"Why do we always get ourselves into these situations?" Sun Ce spoke with a long, dreadful sigh.


	7. Equestrian Duel

Rays of sunlight poured through the small window perched at the back of the room, dispersing the darkness in its wake. Xu Shu grumbled from his position at the top of the three-layered bunk bed and pulled the covers over his head. Just then, he heard a loud thump and felt his bed jolt in the aftermath of the impact.

"OWWW~!" Ma Chao's call of pain could be heard from below.

"Are you alright?" Zhao Yun chuckled in amusement. He eyed himself in the room's sole standing mirror while nimble fingers worked to fasten the buttons on his green jacket.

"It was nothing. Say, why are you up so early?" Ma Chao stifled a yawn and proceeded to glance over at his roommate with a pair of half shut eyes. "And in uniform as well I see"

Yun smiled and nodded from his reflection in the mirror. "The morning meal begins at 7:30. We should be heading down soon"

"Right!" Chao exclaimed, having almost forgotten about that. The boy practically tumbled over himself as he rolled out of his bed on a whim. He sped over to the closet where his green-coloured uniform was neatly hung on the rack and started to dress. "I still remember last night's meal clearly!"

Gigantic bowls of rice with noodles, meat buns packed to the brim with ground pork, a seemingly never ending supply of grilled salmon, and trays of crispy fried shrimp, they ate until their stomachs were overloaded and their hearts were content. Yun and Chao salivated at the thought of experiencing the same sensations all over again.

"There is no time to lose! Let's go Xu Shu!" Yun commanded with excitement.

Chao raced to be first at the door. His feet tapped against the carpeted floor impatiently while he waited for the others to join him. Xu Shu continued to rest in his bed, seemingly unmoved by the urgency that developed in the room.

"Hurry! Time is of the essence!" Chao exclaimed.

"Wha…?" Shu mumbled incoherently, caught between the realm of sleep and reality. He rolled onto his side – facing the drab walls of the room.

Ma Chao gave Yun a stern look and fetched a spear from his personal training bag. It appeared to be well polished from the blade's serrated tip to the bottom of its green handle. Yun watched him march deliberately towards the bed. He flipped the spear around so the bladed end now faced the floor, and then started to jab repeatedly into Shu's back with the pole shaft.

"How do you expect to become a great duelist if you can't even summon the will to get out of bed?!"

Out of instinct, Shu's body retreated to the opposite end of the bed. Snuggled within inches from the wall, he had hoped to be finally free of his roommate's incessant prodding. However, Chao compensated by climbing up the ladder to the top of the beds. The new vantage point provided ample room to repeat his previous actions. His jabs assaulted Shu's back with a merciless intent. The boy eventually came to a few moments later, though Chao still continued to poke him for his own sake.

"Give me a few more minutes…" Xu Shu pleaded.

"In the name of justice, I cannot allow that!" He poked him again.

"Fine, I'll get up. Just stop poking me with that _thing!_" Xu Shu groaned miserably. He rolled over until he faced the outer edges of the bunk beds. Bags lingered beneath a pair of red strained eyes. A throbbing headache carried out a continuous assault inside the confines of his head. Resigned to the fate of his own circumstances, he frowned in mourning for the loss of his potential sleep.

In his immediate field of vision, Chao occupied the majority. In that image, the boy stood atop the ladder with his face twisted in a sullen displeasure. He peered downward at his roommate with a noble head held high and mightily.

"The Silver Stallion is no mere thing! It is the cherished weapon of the proud Ma family!" He emphasized his point with an additional hard jab into the stomach.

"It looks like any other spear to me!"

"Perhaps you would like to witness the Silver Stallion's power first hand?!"

"Everyone, there is no need to argue about…" Yun had begun to say before he heard the thunderous sounds of racing footsteps through the dorm. This signalled the rush for breakfast – a quest for hunger satisfaction. Chao and Shu paused as well and took notice.

"We're going to be late!" Ma Chao hopped down from the bed and returned to the door.

"I'll grab us a table!" Yun was the first to sprint out the door. Ma Chao followed closely behind.

"W-wait for me!" Xu Shu yelled out to them from his bedside.

…

The cafeteria was very crowded at the Shu dorm despite their relatively pitiful numbers. Students excitedly chatted amongst each other in large groups at the tables. There were many hungry customers to feed; Liu Bei and the other masters were busy in the kitchen. Scents of cooked food filled the many waiting nostrils as they wondered just how this meal was going to top the previous. Yun, Chao, and Shu were seated by themselves at one of the smaller tables in the far corner of the room.

"I heard a rumour that the first year students of each dorm will be placed in the same classroom" Chao said.

"Judging by the size of the school, you would think they have enough room to separate the students by dorm. Combining the three together makes for a very large class size" Yun replied.

Chao nodded with agreement. His fingers tapped in a wave-like rhythm against the table's wooden surface in an audible beat. Meanwhile, Xu Shu had his head tilted against the back of his chair and was completely distanced from the on-going small talk. He contented himself to staring at the beige, square-shaped ceiling tiles. A census counting of each tile was tracked column by column and row by row accordingly in his ever wandering mind.

"That also means we'd have to share a classroom with those _Wei_ jerks!" Chao's closed fist pounded against the table when he bitterly mentioned the idea. People from around the room glanced over after overhearing his sudden and passionate outburst.

"Wei jerks?"

"Yeah. They're a selfish and elitist bunch. Won't even give you the time of day if you're not a famous duelist, and their headmaster is the lowest of scum…"

"I see…" Yun nodded his head slowly. He thought back to yesterday night when Xu Shu had also warned him about the Wei clan. Already, it appeared as though their reputation preceded them.

"Your meal is ready!" Liu Bei rejoiced from the kitchen to the excitement of just about everyone. The matter at hand was pushed off to the side, at least for the time being.

Guan Yu emerged from the kitchen with two large circular trays crammed with plain white ceramic bowls. He floated around the room as he served each of the tables. The students lit up with joy when they saw him approach. However, the smiles suddenly turned into frowns as the first student stared into the depths of his bowl with a horrified expression on his face.

"This is our meal?!" The boy shouted in protest. He turned to his friends who shared the very same sentiment. Together, they roared with disapproval.

Yun, Chao, and Shu watched in bewilderment at the disgruntled expressions as they formed in the gathering like a falling domino pattern. Guan Yu reached their table last; he set the remaining three bowls on the table in front of them. Chao and Shu went blank as they held a long staring contest with their bowls. Bottled in the container of silence, their words foretold of an unfortunate turn.

Yun mustered enough courage to look down at the table. There he saw a modest helping of steamed white rice clumped into a frayed ball. The rice exuded a distinctly comforting scent like a delightful homage to the village in which he once lived. He snatched a tiny cluster into his chopsticks before letting it fall into his waiting mouth. Each cooked grain oozed its way onto his tongue. Yun hummed with pleasure as he felt the warm rice brush gently against the back of his throat.

"What happened to the meat buns? And the fried shrimp? Where are the delectable appetizers?!" Ma Chao inquired as he scowled at the comparatively unpleasant presentation before him.

"We couldn't possibly afford to feed you like that for an entire year" Guan Yu scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin.

"B-but I slept through the dinner…" Xu Shu quietly remarked on the side.

"Well, I suppose there's always next year" Guan Yu offered as the uncomfortable consolation prize. Xu Shu let out a small sigh in response.

"You mean I have to wait until next year to eat such a delicious meal ever again?!" Ma Chao moaned pathetically at the _very_distressing thought. Unlike the case of Yun, his rice seemed to create a coarse friction against the top surface of his tongue. His thickly shaped eyebrows furrowed in objection straight away.

"I'm afraid so…"

"Here, ya can wash er' down with THIS!" Zhang Fei stumbled into the room and loudly slammed a large, unidentifiable jug onto their table. Its contents swished around the insides like a violent tidal wave. The corners of his lips curled into a proud, inebriated grin.

"I'd rather not…" Xu Shu leaned away from the bearded man and waved a hand in front of his nose with a look of disgust. Guan Yu sighed and shook his head.

"What is it?" Ma Chao peered down the bottleneck into the darkness of the jug's insides.

"Why don't cha' try it n' find out?"

He fetched a small cup from his pocket and set it on the table where Chao sat. The outer surfaces were unpolished and scattered with tiny dirt specks. A deep red liquid was splashed around the inside the cup, some of which dripped onto the table itself. It was filled to the brim, and then some. Chao's eyes gleamed with the opportunity to divert from the bland and tasteless rice.

"Don't do it!" Xu Shu rigorously shook his head.

"He's right maybe you should…" Guan Yu spoke up. He motionlessly watched with horror as Ma Chao disregarded their opinions and quickly lifted the drink to his mouth. He then tugged at his outstretched collar in fear of the worst.

It took a moment, but soon the eyes on Chao's head bulged with stunning realization. His head shot forward like a cannonball and the contents that were once inside his mouth now sprayed forward in a red projectile mist directly at Yun's face. Left with no time to react, the boy found himself covered in the slick residue. Zhang Fei went mad with laughter at their expense.

"T-This is wine!" Chao came to the stunning conclusion.

"Of course it's wine! There's no better drink ta cleanse yer pallet"

"Bastard! The blade of righteous justice will punish you for tainting my throat with your poison!"

"I'd like ta see ya try!"

"Zhang Fei!" Liu Bei's stern voice entered the room, handing Yun a small cloth for which to wipe his face on the way. "I thought we had agreed you wouldn't drink in the morning anymore"

"Jus' a lil drink fer courage, M' not drunk!" Master Fei spouted in a daze, nearly falling over his own feet in the process. A firm hand was placed on the table for support, yet he still wobbled in one place.

Master Yu gave Bei a knowing look and proceeded to sneak behind his drunken co-master. He grabbed hold of Fei's arms in a debilitating under armed lock before he dragged the man away from their students at once.

"M' not drunk! M' not drunk! M' not drunk…M' not…" Fei repeated over and over until fatigue inevitably conquered him. Guan Yu removed his unconscious body from the students' line of sight.

"My sincerest apologies, it was not my intention to set him out on you guys so early in the morning. Anyway, I suppose you should be heading to class now" Liu Bei said, turning his head towards Yun and the others. By now, the rest of their peers had already left for their classes.

"Right! Let's go everyone!" Zhao Yun exclaimed as the three of them travelled together for their very first class.

…

He remained alone, engulfed by the darkness of his own heart. Cao Pi glared intensely at the television as the image of his defeat was engraved into the memories of viewers towering into the billions all across the globe. On the scene, ready and yearning to mock him, the beautiful seductress reporter Diao Chan prepared to divulge the gruelling details. Spelled clearly for everyone to see were the confirmation of Pi's spoiled legacy and the headline of Zhao Yun's grand comeback.

"It's finally happened folks!" She beamed in front of the cameras. A delighted pair of eyes shone the brightest under light. "The previously undefeated king, Cao Pi, has suffered his first and most critical loss last night. Despite his bravado, and putting up a solid effort, he was stunned by the ferocity of his opponent at the annual Han Academy Opening Ceremonies. Today, a new king has been crowned…and his name is Zhao Yun!"

The screen had suddenly cut to black. Cao Pi spiked the TV remote onto the ground where it was busted into tiny plastic bits. Filth coated the entire floor in a thick layer that was unavoidable no matter where he stepped. Sitting next to him was perhaps the very last piece of his legacy intact, his pride and soul as a duelist, two majestic swords intertwined by their handles to form an incomparably more powerful weapon.

"Fools…every last one of them. All it takes is a single victory to reclaim my rightful place as king! That _peasant _won't be able to contain _the great me_! I'll show the world what I'm truly capable of!"

On a whim, he grabbed his precious swords and started for the door to the outside world. His hand grasped the doorknob when he paused. Inhale, exhale, calm, composing breaths he took as the shame and humiliation ran through his blood. Never forgetting the despair which he endured, it was now the time to settle the scores. However, just outside, two pairs of footsteps clicked on the hallway's marble flooring.

"Cao Pi hasn't left his room since yesterday evening, has he?" One Wei student off-handedly commented. The mention of his name had him frozen in place.

"Can you believe it? He lost to an amateur duelist with a crappy spear, how embarrassing!" The other mocked.

"Guess he isn't anything great after all…" They shared a good laugh as their voices trailed away from him.

Cao Pi remained at the door for several moments afterward. His hand still grasped the doorknob, yet it refused to turn it open. Stunned, perplexed even, there was nothing that could physically stop his actions. Only through that door could vengeance be served. But, his heart protested regardless. An ominous and quivering sensation would hit him whenever he thought to move against his heart's desires. Through struggle and through strain, Pi yearned to remove himself from such oppressive feelings. In the end the ultimate truth dawned upon him as he hung his head to a sorrowfully new low.

When he released his hand from the door, the terrible pressures subsided. At once he retreated to his bed. He collapsed into the soft, comforting pillows face first and lamented his decision.

…

Yun, Chao, and Shu entered into their classroom alongside their fellow classmates. Upon first sight their mouths were hung agape. They scanned the interior atmospherics with a look of both joy and admiration. Lavishly carved stone pillars lined the room's walls along with colourful murals depicting various factions waging war upon one another. The desks and seats were lined neatly in three vertical columns on an ascending staircase platform that extended to the back walls. A few feet ahead of the front row was a vacant stage accompanied by a gigantic television screen framed just behind.

"This is our classroom?" Yun blinked and did a double take of the room. Displayed in all of its grandiosity, his hometown began to look more and more like a dirt pile by comparison.

"I've never seen anything like it!" Chao exclaimed.

"Amazing…" Xu Shu exhaled.

"You bet! I'm fired up already!" A voice shouted with confidence. Behind them appeared two students dressed in the Wu red uniforms. Their presence both contrasted and complimented one another. More importantly, the radiating passionate energy struck a rather familiar chord.

"You're Sun Ce! The runner-up for the National Championship!" Yun drew upon the connection in an instant; his response was greeted with a proud smirk from the man himself.

"That's right! And am I ever glad I get to share a classroom with the one who defeated Cao Pi!"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" Ce laughed a little to himself. He scratched at the back of his head in the midst of searching for the right words. Yun watched him trail off into his thoughts, appearing to be the same in person that was once projected on television. It was such an attitude of the present that made Yun wonder if the boy had already forgotten about his loss. "Since you're the new champ, I wanna test my skills against you someday!"

In a sense, Yun already suspected that people would be clamoring to challenge him once he jumped to the top ranks of the Academy. But to think it would happen so quickly, on the first day in fact. Even Yun hadn't considered that. Sure, he was unaccustomed to this sudden bout of attention that has clung onto his reputation. However there were sure to be great duelists roaming the campus grounds, he thought.

"Think of it as a friendly match of sorts" The handsome young gentleman beside Ce suggested with the ponderous tone of an experienced lecturer. He possessed a rigid stature like the unmoving mountain to Ce's fierce gale. An outstretched hand greeted Yun in salutation.

"Very well, I will accept the challenge when the time comes!" Yun met the other boy's hand in the middle as they shook in greeting. A cool chill engulfed him as they did so. The stilled look on his face left much to be desired. Truly there was more to him than meets the eye. "My name is Zhao Yun, by the way"

"It's an honour to make your acquaintance" The boy nodded his head in a manner so slight it would have gone unnoticed to the blinking sight.

"Don't be so formal, Zhou Yu! They're our friends now! It's fine to let loose around good company right?" Ce chided his friend with a hearty slap on the back that seemed to permeate through the walls of the room. So loud, even a straggling passerby in the hallway reacted to it.

In a flash Yu's body contorted into an eye wrenching discomfort. He gingerly rubbed at the impacted area with his cold left hand in an attempt to ease the pain. A deep inhale ran into his lungs while the burning sensation of a prominent red mark scarred his figure.

"That…hurt" The moment was described so very succinctly.

"Ha, my bad Yu!"

"_Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, no doubt I saw them last night…" _Xu Shu hid discreetly in the background with Chao stood almost directly in his way. While the others paid him no mind, he analyzed the peculiar undertone of their conversation.

…

_The disturbing sounds of clashing blades rang in the background and startled him into action. He looked up and realized he was in the duel auditorium; Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were battling Yue Jin and Li Dian of Wei._

_The room was empty besides them, this lead him to surmise that it was actually past the Academy mandated curfew time. As per the rule's intent, anyone caught roaming the campus at this time would be punished. Admittedly, the circumstances were questionable at best. Last he remembered he had been lazing away at the Shu dorm when Dian and Jin suddenly stormed in. _

_While they continued their tag duel, Xu Shu quickly scanned the room for an escape plan. Beside him rested Yun's shoddily handcrafted spear. How it had managed to last in a fight against Cao Pi remained a mystery. At any rate, he grabbed it and cautiously made his way to the auditorium's entrance. There he saw, lodged firmly between the two handles, was a long metal pipe._

_"A pipe? I see…it was a trap to keep the enemy locked in" He tugged at the end of the metal pipe with both hands. It was securely lodged in the handles. Any attempts to remove the pipe caused the doors to move in place ever so slightly, but not enough to escape. The futility of his actions became increasingly apparent. "Hmm, it seems it won't budge. Then I'll just have to use this"_

_He swung at the metal pipe with Yun's spear. The sharpened blade connected perfectly in the very middle of the pipe and sliced it into two. It then slammed onto the floor in pieces, causing a distinctly noticeable twang of solid metal on the hard stone flooring. Shu's head darted back to the middle of the room. A smile crept onto his features when he noticed the others will still heated in their conflict._

_"Wait, Yun, no matter what I will make sure your spear returns to its rightful place!"_

…

_"Is it possible that they were simply trying to get their hands on Yun's spear before Wei did…?"_

His thoughts were interrupted by the school bell signalling the official start of class.

"It seems as though it's about time we went to our seats" Zhou Yu mused with a grin. He turned to Ce with a knowing look. The latter eventually caught onto the unmentioned forethought and the two moved past Yun and company down the staircase.

"Yun, duel with me sometime!" He shouted from ahead before the duo vanished into a crowd of Wu students.

The seating arrangements were made as such that the students of each house sat together in the classroom. Each row was divided into three distinct sections. Wei members sat to the far right, Shu members sat in the far left hand side of the room, and Wu members resided in between the two. The classroom became very colour coordinated in this manner. Naturally, Yun, Chao, and Shu sat with the other first year Shu students and awaited the beginning of their lesson. A mechanical door at the front of the room gave way and in came the Head of the Shu dorm, Liu Bei himself, to address the newest batch of first years.

"Good morning students I'm glad to see you're all here, ready and so willing to learn today about the classical elements of dueling" The television screen came to life at the press of a button. Six Han characters were lit for all the students to see. Whispers of curiosity lingered in the room as students deciphered their significance. "Fire, Ice, Wind, Light, Darkness, and Earth are the six unique elements that move the dueling world in a circular pattern of life. Each of the following elements can be imbued into your attacks by harnessing one's own duelist spirit"

_"Duelist… spirit?"_ Yun mulled it over in his head.

…

Another bell toll signalled the end of class sessions in the early evening. Yun and company walked in a brisk pace along the cobblestone. A stack of textbooks were clutched between arm and chest as they now looked ahead to tonight's homework. The journey continued with elaboration upon the concept of duelist spirit that Master Liu Bei had mentioned in class.

"My friends, we officially conquered our first day of Han Academy! I shall declare it here and now; there is nothing that can stop us!" Ma Chao roared very typically at the top of his lungs so that all in earshot could hear.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that…" Xu Shu fretted softly as his eyes continued droop to the ground itself. Ma Chao recognized this and gave him a playful shove that unexpectedly sent him falling to the ground – arousing a chorus of laughter from the sneering Wei populace as they trotted by. The interaction between the two houses was brief and ended as quickly as it had started.

"Don't be so shy. Hold your head up with some pride! Like me for example!"

"D-doesn't pride come before the fall?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Chao grabbed the small boy by the scruff of his shirt and hoisted him in the air. Shu's feet dangled uselessly, kicking in a barrage at his roommate's unflinching chest. He sputtered and suffocated under the wring of Chao's calloused hands.

"N-Nothing!" Shu gasped pathetically at his own predicament. "I mean, I-I never meant it for you necessarily, but…"

"Whatever. I don't care!" Shu was then released, hitting the ground on his back. A few light groans of pain could be heard, but otherwise appeared to be normal. Chao saw that Yun had been unusually astray from the conversation at hand. He saw his friend's eyes reach out to the horizon in an idle thought. "Hey, you haven't said a word in a while. Is there something wrong?"

"Huh?" Yun muttered on standby. Chao eyed him quizzically whilst waiting for a proper response. The sudden realization dawned upon him just a few moments later as Yun pulled his mind back into the realm of reality. "No, it's nothing. I was just daydreaming I guess"

Silence stifled the flow of their conversation for the remaining moments. While they continued walking, the smell of fresh air was replaced by the peculiar scent of hay stacks. Beneath them, the ground and the dirt vibrated under the intense galloping of the four-legged mammoths that resided in the Academy stables. Their high-pitched neighs were a cry of freedom and independence to those who resided both near and wide. Chao's eyes widened and his body shook with glee when he saw it.

"It's a horse! It's a horse! Come, let's go see!" He sprinted toward the perimeter of the stables. His chin rested over the top of the steel encasement with a great big smile stretched from ear to ear.

Yun and Shu approach behind him in a leisurely walk. Just as they did so, a majestic black stallion galloped with poise over in their direction. A tremendous animal of the kingdom suddenly lorded above them on its hind legs as though to show dominance over the domain.

"Oh! I've never seen one up close before. They're so big!" Shu remarked joyfully.

Chao extended his right arm over the fencing in order to greet the black coated stallion who, despite the show of intimidation from before, moved his face closer in response. He gently stroked the bridge of its nose down to the end tip. The stallion stared him in the face as he did so; the two shared that momentary bond with one another.

"Strange, I didn't think they would be so trusting"

"He can sense that we are equal in mind, body, and spirit. Therefore he wants to trust me. Perhaps this is also what it means to possess a duelist spirit. In that case…Yun duel with me!"

"What? Right now?"

"Yeah, but this won't be any ordinary duel – I challenge you to an equestrian duel!"

"Equestrian…d-duel?!" Xu Shu exclaimed.

"That's what I said!" Chao uprooted his nose with the dignity of a royal king as he explained.

_"Perhaps this will be a good chance to test out the practical side of duel theory! If what he says is true, I should figure out how to harness the elements in our fight"_He thought aside himself. The proposition had come at a very convenient timing. Determination now fueled his body forward in a passionate heave.

"Very well. I accept your challenge!"

"Prepare yourself, Yun!"

Yun nodded and hopped over the fence into the stable grounds. A pure white horse slowly approached him, for a moment their eyes locked onto each other. He caressed its long, shaggy mane as he studied it closely.

"This one looks perfect to be my companion!" He said as he positioned himself on the leather saddle which covered the horse's back. Chao mounted his respective steed with ease and made way to the opposite end of the stable grounds. Wielding his spear in one hand, the reigns in the other, he stared Yun down with a stern intent.

"Alright! The winner shall be decided by the last man standing, prepare to be defeated by the Silver Stallion!"

"Bring it on!" Yun shouted back with confidence.

_GONG!_

Yun gave a slight kick at the side of his mount, without hesitation the two carried forward in a wind breaking momentum. Approaching from the other side of the yard, Chao and his jet black steed met their advance dead on. Sounds of clanging spears rung through their ears even after the two horses rushed past one another. Yun tugged at the reigns and commanded the horse to turn around.

He looked back at Ma Chao who had already begun his second charge attack. The Silver Stallion spear whizzed at Yun's head, but he deflected it off the course of his torso at the very last second. They stayed put for the moment, allowing Chao and Yun to trade their attacks back and forth.

"Guard break!" Yun yelled as he slinged the blade of his spear into a powerful slash attack that connected with the pole end of Chao's Silver Stallion. Ma Chao struggled to maintain his balance on the horse and ordered his steed to temporarily retreat from the conflict.

"Heh, you're not too bad Yun! This should be interesting!"

Yun ordered a pressuring advance on Chao's exposed backside as he fled from trouble. Already, the momentum has pushed in Yun's favour as he unexpectedly forced Chao into the defensive this early into the duel.

**To be continued…**


	8. Fight or Flight!

Galloping hooves marred the playing field in their tracks. Yun arched his spear forward in his hand, prepared to move in for the kill. As Chao's steed drew closer to the boundaries, Yun had begun to calculate his opponent's next move. In this case, there were only three potential moves. First, Chao could reach the end and make a sharp right – a risky gamble that would trap him in a corner. Second, he could move left at the boundary, an option that only dragged out this fruitless chase. The third and final option, reach the end and do nothing – surrender the match entirely.

_"__What will you do? Ma Chao" _The boy internally pondered as the time of decision quickly approached them.

Ma Chao pulled back on his reigns as his horse skidded to a complete stop with just inches before the fence boundary. All of his momentum had died in an instant and his back was still facing his eagerly charging opponent. The corner of Yun's mouth curled into a grin as he spurred his mount forward to victory.

"This is it! Dragon's charge!" He raised his spear into the skies as he advanced within just steps of his target. In all certainty, he'd win the match with this single blow.

Chao gracefully redirected his steed in a U-turn just moments before Yun's attack would connect. In that very fraction of time, as everything appeared to slow down, he glanced into his opponent's eyes. Cool and comfortable, they harboured no apprehension. Furthermore, they belied the confident aura which threw Yun into a state not of being within inches from victory, but of defeat. Ma Chao was not fleeing for his life, but rather he had lured Yun into complacency – a caveat of a duelist's unwavering pride. Yun mentally cursed himself for having not recognized the concealed grin Ma Chao had worn all along.

"Counter attack! Whirlwind strike!" Imbued with the element of wind at the helm of his Silver Stallion spear, Ma Chao conjured a strong gust of wind directly in front – it created a barrier between the two duelists.

Yun's unbreakable momentum carried straight into the whirlwind where he would take the brunt of the wind storms damaging capabilities. Though he could not confirm with his eyes, the agonized scream coming from his opponent was all Chao needed to know. With the dust eventually subsided, what remained of their short exchange was the image of Yun bearing the pain of many volts. Chao watched with content as the mighty new king felt his first wound. In the matter of seconds the complexion of the fight made a full reverse. Yun sensed the impending counterattack and ordered his horse to move with haste lest he be caught up in Ma Chao's inevitable barrage.

"That was close – but you've already forgotten something! Boldly venturing into my territory comes with a price!"

"What?!"

"Let me show you. Tremble before the Silver Stallion! Face the wrath of righteous justice! Accel Musou Ranbu! Steed Dashing!"

"Accel…musou ranbu?" Were the words Yun and Xu Shu uttered in bewilderment as a bright light covered their duel in a flash of pure white. A sharp pain inflicted a lasting torture. As his vision returned to normal, Yun noticed that Chao was not backed to the boundary as he was once before.

"Where did he go?!" His head darted furiously about the duel field. Everything appeared to him in bright spots of haze and his head began to twirl and spin. The sight of Ma Chao was nowhere to be found, but the dreaded noise of stomping hooves garnered the tingling sensation that drove down the spine of his back.

The noises drew closer, a sharp pain rushed in his sides. He screamed in pain at the top of his lungs as he clutched himself with a shaking hand. Ma Chao circled him comfortably upon horseback while Yun remained oblivious.

_"__Alright! The advantage is mine! Indeed Yun is a capable duelist; he could turn this around at any moment. But, I intend to finish him off quickly! I cannot hold back!" _

_One!_

Ma Chao charged in once again. He could clearly see that Yun was in pain. This further strengthened his resolve; he kicked at his horse to pick up the pace as he landed another attack at Yun's back.

"Argh!"

_Two! _

Yun turned to where he believed Ma Chao would appear after the last attack, however Chao moved much faster. The boy circled around to the flank before he conducted his next advance. Ma Chao poked with the jagged blade of his spear into Yun's vulnerable sides.

"Arrrgghh!" Yun took the piercing damage in the shockwaves imbedded in his uniform.

_Three! _

Ma Chao charged with a sense of determination. In his mind he had reminded himself that holding back was not an option. He raised the tip of his spear in presentation to the skies; the blade glimmered in the sun's rays. Xu Shu glanced at Chao's stoic, unwavering expression before he promptly hopped the fence boundary and rushed recklessly into the midst of a duel. A strong pressure of wind blew directly in his face, a premonition of what was to come. In the heat of the moment Shu's legs trembled, he was barely able to stand in the mud that covered the duel field. He closed his eyes, turned his head toward the side, and prepared for the inevitable course of physics to play their crucial part.

"Stop!" Shu called out pathetically to his friend in a last resort.

"Shu! No!" Yun had also noticed the boy's sudden intrusion and urged the boy to step away.

"W-what!?" Ma Chao quickly tugged backward at the reigns with all his might. Despite the carried momentum, the horse managed to refrain from ruthlessly trampling the small boy who appeared very shrimp-like in comparison to the giant beast Chao was guiding. Once all hooves touched the ground, Ma Chao glared indignantly toward Xu Shu. The Silver Stallion's threatening blade shot towards Shu's neck with the tip just inches of his throat. "How dare you interrupt our duel!"

"A duel should be waged against enemies! Do you not see Yun as our friend!?

"Fuck off!" Ma Chao boiled to the brim. His knuckles grew pale in the tight grip of his spear. "Friend or foe, none of that matters! In a duel, everyone must give it their all! That's what it means to bear a duelist's spirit!"

_"__To bear a duelist's spirit…?" _Yun thought to himself as the moment brought back the recent memories of Liu Bei's elements class fresh and to the forefront of his mind.

…

_"__Each of the following elements can be imbued into your attacks by harnessing one's own duelist spirit – which is done subconsciously only by those who possess the inner strength"_

_"__Duelist… spirit?" Yun mulled the concept over in his head repeatedly; it grew more pronounced as his intrigue for the foreign concept heightened by the passing moment._

…

_"__I get it! A duelist's spirit must be harnessed by overcoming our fears and allowing our true potential to shine!"_

"But…" Xu Shu only meekly protested in response.

"My father once told me that dueling was a way to see into someone's heart. There is a certain connection between two duelists that can be shown but not seen" Ma Chao proceeded to explain.

"Shown but not seen?"

"Back then, when I was still very young, I used to watch my father duel…"

…

_On a sweltering summer day, people dressed in fine outfits and peasant garb alike gathered by the masses at the Equestrian Coliseum in Xi Liang. The wealthy sat upon high ground being fanned by their humble servants. The lower class took to the muddy terrain nearby the circular track that expanded one thousand metres in total. There was a marching band in centre field that preluded the show with the rattling of their drums and the playing of their horns. All throughout the stadium, the conversation was lively between the people. Indeed this was the perfect stage for the final battle. _

_"__Ladies and gentlemen! The moment has finally arrived! The winner of the Xi Liang Regional Equestrian Championship will be decided here and now!" The announcer happily proclaimed from his booth. His winning smile etched on the nearby jumbo Tron for all to see._

_A loud screeching noise took to the skies. Fighter jets passed over the stadium in organized fleets while people cheered. Young Ma Chao waded his way through the crowd of peasants gathering field side dressed in a fine green riding jacket and a pair of grey dress pants – worn at his father's command. Mud covered the boy to the cuff of his pants and drew odd, questioning stares from the lower class people which he summarily ignored. At the very front, he managed to squeeze between a duo of drunken men with missing teeth and a family dressed in rags._

_"…__and now, introducing the reigning Equestrian Duel Champion, he hasn't been defeated in a single match! The untouchable riding duelist of Xi Liang, Ma Teng!" The crowd roared in appreciation as a man of great physique strode out of the stables confidently on his steed. "Can he possibly keep this enormous winning streak alive!?"_

_"__Father! Do your best!" Chao was awe inspired by the man who trotted toward him in his specialty battle suit. His father looked over with a smile at his son, a boy of wealth standing among people who wore little more than rags, he was easy to spot. The man rode a leisurely lap around the track as he addressed his adoring fans._

_Ma Teng pulled up to the starting gate, his opponent was already there. A timer appeared overhead to countdown the beginning of the duel. 10…9…8, the crowd had fallen to a hush, 7…6…5, their peering eyes scanned the competitors closely – many of the wealthier people had already placed their wagers on the match. 4…3…2, there was sure to be an overload of emotion that rode with this very duel. 1…Ma Chao's heart skipped a beat; he had begun to shake uncontrollably like always. _

_GONG! _

_"__It's started!" Ma Chao thought. The riders busted from the gates in an instant, their steeds sprinted around the first corner. Ma Teng managed to gain the initial lead. Customary to Equestrian Duel rules, he got to make the first attack._

_"__Four hit slash combo!" Ma Teng swung his prized spear in hand, dubbed the Silver Stallion, into a fundamental four slash combo. His opponent blocked the attacks with ease. "Four hit slash combo!"_

_Ma Teng attacked again, the result remained the same. However, the man did not appear to be phased by this in the slightest. In fact, his stone cold expression gave nothing away to his opponent._

_"__Four hit slash combo!"_

_"__Fool!" His opponent retorted as he blocked Ma Teng's same attack once again._

_"__The challenger appears to have figured out Ma Teng's strategy! His attacks are not going through!" The voice announced over the PA system._

_The crowd was left very confused. This was not the Ma Teng they were used to seeing. Some discontent mumblings could be heard as the duel progressed. Ma Chao also eyed his father in curiosity, wondering what he was trying to do. _

_"__Four hit slash combo!" Ma Teng, yet again, made the same attack. _

_"__Have you gone mad? The same attack will always have the same result…" It was to nobody's surprise that the challenger had recognized the repetitiveness and easily blocked the attacks._

_People booed Ma Teng from the crowd. Tensions thickened, all of the money bets added to the heat of the moment. Ma Chao wondered if they would possibly riot if his father lost this match…_

_"__Ma Teng responds with the very same attack! Perhaps he is off his game today! How will the challenger respond?" _

_The two riders completed their first lap around the track. Ma Chao climbed to the top of the fence boundary surrounding the track to get a better look at the action. Though he wasn't exactly sure what his motives were, it seemed better to trust in him anyway._

_"__Don't give up, father!" The boy tried to encourage his father amidst the others berating. _

_"__I guess you were all talk, Ma Teng… how disappointing!" His opponent taunted, he prepared his spear for the counter attack. "Well, I guess it can't be helped. Take this!" _

_"__I was waiting for that!" _

_"__W-what!?" _

_"__Tremble before the Silver Stallion! Face the wrath of righteous justice! Accel Musou Ranbu! Steed Dashing!"_

_A bright light absorbed the two duelists, people gasped at the sight. The light dispersed after a few seconds and the crowd began to cheer. It was then that Ma Chao noticed the challenger lying unconscious on the ground while Ma Teng rode to the end of the track._

…

"…there are things you simply cannot understand about a person until you are facing them in a duel" Ma Chao glanced downward at the Silver Stallion spear which rested comfortably in his hand, the one which once belonged to his father.

"Still, why would you want to hurt your friends!?" Xu Shu determinately pressed on.

"Because" He paused. "…because there is something I'm missing that Yun already has"

"What do you mean?" Yun was the first to interject.

Chao removed the blade from Shu's throat and held his spear delicately close to his chest. The image of his father appeared before him when he closed his eyes. He summoned his willpower to fight back the feelings that urged within him…

"It happened several years ago…"

…

_Ma Chao hid in the shadows of darkness. With just a single eye, he peered through a tiny crack of the closet door. He could not move, he could not speak, and the young boy was left paralyzed with fear._

_"__Uggghhh!" The deep voiced cry of Ma Teng could be heard as he fell to his knees. His large hands clutched at his sides where a gaping wound threatened to pour his blood all over the floor._

_An unidentified man in the background laughed tyrannically. Ma Teng appeared to be staring up at him, unable to reel in the pain that consumed him from the inside. Chao looked over at the Silver Stallion that had been resting on the floor for quite some time. It seemed as though the spear called the boy into action, but his father had expressly forbidden him from leaving the closet – a bad feeling grew in the pit of his stomach._

_Chao heard some hard footsteps on the wooden floor. A man in a regal blue cape approached his father with a sword in his hand. He had a face that screamed malicious intent with an icy cool demeanor that was capable of freezing hell with a daggered glare from his eyes. Unlike his father, the man was practically unscathed. _

_"__Die." Was all the man said before he drove the tip of his sword straight through Teng's chest._

_Chao forced a hand over his mouth to avoid revealing his hiding place, though he did nothing for the tears that coursed freely down his face. The ten year old boy watched the blood drain from his father's lifeless form into a puddle of red. _

_"__I guess that's all he had" Another voice spoke; two other men entered the frame. The first carried a large podao that was covered in blood – he was characteristically marked by his missing eye. The other carried a bow; he too was covered in blood._

_"__More are on the way, we better leave now" The man with the bow added._

_"__Let's go" The man in the blue cape fled with his partners into the distance._

…

Ma Chao wept in sorrow for the very vivid images remained permanently engraved in his fragile mind. Perhaps the only remaining article of possession was left in his hands crossed over the heart which was spared all those years ago. Yun and Shu were at a loss for words. Their hearts, compelled by such a moving tale, begged to reach outward and comfort him.

"To this day I still wonder if my father would have been around…if only I was brave enough"

"Chao…" Zhao Yun started to speak. Yet he couldn't possibly articulate an explanation that would ease his friend's suffering.

"That is why I wanted to duel you Yun. I needed to know I had the strength to exact my revenge!"

"Revenge? Don't tell me…!?"

"Yes. The man who killed my father walks among us here at the Academy!" Chao interrupted.

"That can't be true!" Xu Shu asserted defiantly. The idea that a murderer would have remained free for so long, and living out in plain sight, sounded rather preposterous in his mind. He started to wonder if there was a much larger problem that loomed above him than the boy would let on. "Who could have possibly done such a thing?"

"Cao Cao." Ma Chao answered bluntly.

"Cao Cao!?" Yun and Shu shouted in unison. Their eyes practically bulged from their heads when they heard such a revelation.

"I swore on my father's grave that he would one day fall to my blade, much like my father had done with his" Ma Chao dismounted his horse and approached the boundaries of the duel field. He stopped just before the end and then paused without turning back to acknowledge his friends. "Yun, we shall continue this later"

"Y-yeah" Yun couldn't help but stutter, his mind was still processing everything he had just heard in the past few moments. With that, Ma Chao stormed off in a figure of barely contained rage. Like a ticking time bomb, the two boys suspected he could blow at any time.


	9. The Fledgling Phoenix!

**Don't mind the delay, it is simply part of the creative process. Hopefully you enjoy the latest update of the story!**

Ma Chao stared coldly at the barren campus grounds, a heavy-hearted sigh escaped him. His fists clenched the shaft of the Silver Stallion tighter as he proceeded to strike at nobody in particular with a series of slashes, thrusts, and sweeping movements. Dawn glowed in the background; its orange tinge intermingled with the top surface of his golden blonde hair. The boy momentarily appreciated the cleansing silence which followed it. Sweat stained the fabric of his green training garb. His skin seemed to glisten in the light. Each breath he drew grew more powerful and purposeful. Once more, he swung the Silver Stallion with seething hatred and enough ferocity to cut a foe into two. Then his lungs began to burn like the adversarial flames that resided in his heart. Ma Chao finally retreated from his stance, the Silver Stallion returned to a passive position.

"You're up earlier than usual" Zhao Yun remarked from his position along the second floor walkway. He leaned very nonchalantly against the welded steel guard rail that kept him from falling to the ground.

"Yeah…" Ma Chao gently set the Silver Stallion on top of his training bag and took a swig from the unmarked canteen that was laid on the ground nearby his feet. Zhao Yun eyed him curiously as he did so.

"The weather seems nice today," Yun glanced toward the yellowish-orange ball of fire as it very slowly ascended to its rightful position atop the skies. "…let's go explore the campus before the others wake up!"

"Sorry, I'm not in the mood for that"

"O-okay then, suit yourself" Yun scratched the back of his head tentatively. Ma Chao stared at him in a cold silence before he returned to his training exercises as if it had not happened at all.

Yun shook his head with disappointment and grabbed his spear from inside the dorm room. On his way out, he afforded his friend a second glance in hopes that Chao would change his tune. Instead, he was ignored and before long Yun had dropped the matter altogether and begun his descending journey down the hills of the Shu dorm – alone - or perhaps not, as the peaceful chorus of the birds chirped about from the tree branches to guide Yun along the way. He tried to force a smile; it was the right thing to do. In truth though, it was all simply an act for himself…a poor one at that.

Immediately, he was appalled to remember just how terribly laid out the trail actually was. "Trail" was a term used loosely in this case as it was simply a small stretch of gravel line which, in some portions, was not always connected in a coherent fashion. There were many large rocks and surfaced tree roots that ran along the ground and threatened to trip someone, or worse yet roll ankles, if not carefully heeded. Yun kept his head down and walked cautiously until he was finally greeted with a relatively flat patch of land at the base of the hill.

A cool breeze ruffled with his hair. Yun pushed away a few loose strands that fell into his face. He stood there for a moment as he decided upon a direction of travel. With a campus so expansive, his options were almost endless. He scanned the grounds in search of any strange landmarks to be investigated. His eyes came upon what appeared to be a small toolshed; it was quite strange that he had not taken note of it before. Nevertheless, it was a good start for a solo adventure.

Without a glimmer of hesitation, he marched his way over. The shed doors were left wide open, so he ducked his head in and looked around. Where he had expected to find tools and antique, rusted machinery, he instead found beakers full of strange liquids atop a desk and old wine jugs scattered along the floor similar to the one Zhang Fei had toted around the previous day.

"What is all this stuff?" He said to himself as he meandered inside. The boy innocently grabbed one of the glass beakers on the desk, he stared at it intently. It contained a bluish liquid that swished around the bottom of the beaker before he set it back down on the desk. Its contents fizzed slightly as it rocked back and forth like the tide of ocean water.

There were many more beakers of the same kind; each contained a strange liquid of a different colour. In combination, the beakers formed the colours of the rainbow. Yun knew better than to dabble in a taste test. Still though, he had so many questions left unanswered, such as why the Academy left storage of strange liquids so conspicuously in a shed outside a student dormitory. He suddenly heard a pair of footsteps encroaching behind him fast.

"Huh?" Was all Yun got out of his mouth before he felt something hard pummel him in the back of his head. He collapsed to the floor in a throbbing pain, his sight quickly faded to black. The final thought which ran through his mind was spent in fear he had just waltzed to his own, untimely death.

…

When he came to, Yun realized that he had hardly moved a few feet from the spot he had lost consciousness. Within a few seconds, he also deducted that his body was slumped into a chair. Unfortunately the culprit was nowhere to be found.

"That was weird…" He thought out loud as he moved to leave, his eyes widened in panic when he made yet another interesting discovery – he couldn't move. In fact, his hands and feet were very securely tied to the chair, bound by two separate lengths of rope. "Ugh, what happened?!"

It was then that a stranger suddenly meandered into view. They were dressed in the standard Shu school uniform coupled with an eccentric looking hat which appeared to be a cross between a sombrero and a Western cowboy hat. Their face was concealed in a beige head wrap that left only their ragged, slightly wrinkled eyes visible. Yun cringed with sympathy with the knowledge that time never was their ally, evidenced by the seemingly permanent hunchback posture and the aforementioned wrinkles they very shamefully adorned.

"I see you have awoken from your temporary slumber!" They spoke in the tone of a weary old man. Yun felt slightly taken aback by the oddity and started to wonder what deeper mystery he had so carelessly stumbled into.

"Could you please untie me?"

"I'm afraid not." He responded with elation as he eyed the boy with an unnerving sense of maliciousness.

"Why?" Yun raised a quizzical brow. The distinct knot in his stomach foretold of future suffering he was sure would befallen him.

"You have seen far too much for me to let you go now…" The man rubbed his gloved hands together like a stereotypical mad scientist as he marvelled over his dazzling array of odd liquids.

"So what are you going to do with me then?"

"Well…" The man grabbed the beaker of blue liquid Yun played with earlier and turned to face his newest captive being. Though Yun couldn't see his mouth, his upwardly squinting eyes revealed a devilish smile hidden underneath the head cloth. "You'd make a perfect lab rat for my newest potions!"

Yun gulped with anxiety. He thrashed about in his chair in an attempt to escape. The weird man slowly walked his way with the beaker still in his hands as if to taunt the boy further in the hopelessness of his own situation.

"Pang Tong! Did you steal my wine again?!" Zhang Fei's booming voice was heard in the background. Pang Tong jumped in fright and spilled some of the blue liquid onto the concrete floor. Fei barged into the shed and stared with a frown at the wine jugs layered on the floor nearby, then with surprise at Yun. "What are you doing here Yun?"

"Help! I'm about to become a scientific experiment!" Yun pleaded desperately, to which Zhang Fei let out a hearty chuckle.

"Yep, that's Pang Tong for ya! That wacky old lunatic…" Fei remarked with a grin as if simply repeating the name was supposed to explain everything. His face changed into an expression of great irritation as he looked down at the tiny old man who barely stood above his waist. "Anyway…the next time you steal my wine, I'm going to break every bone in your body! Got that?!"

"Y-you can't do that!"

"Oh yeah? Why don't we find out!" Fei snagged the old man by the collar of his shirt with a single hand and effortlessly hoisted him above his head. Pang Tong flailed his legs wildly in the air whilst he silently begged Yun to help him out of this predicament.

Yun responded with a casual shrug and an amused smile. Tong laughed nervously as he stared deeply into the remorseless eyes of Zhang Fei who appeared ready to rip his body into shreds. With a balance between the value of his life and the value of Fei's wine jugs, the answer was clear as day.

"On second thought, I believe your original demands were very reasonable…"

"Good!" He exclaimed with a forgivable smile and then roughly dropped Pang Tong to his feet. "Now go untie Yun!"

"R-right away sir!" Pang Tong bowed and hurried over to release Yun from his rope binds. He smiled with gratitude, relieved to be free of his precarious situation.

"Pang Tong is it? May I ask you something?" Yun inquired.

"I suppose that is the unwelcoming job of a man with my experience…"

Yun shrugged, that probably meant yes. It also could have also meant no though, there was no way of knowing the truth with this guy. He eventually decided to just throw caution to the wind; this man owed him at least this much.

"Why do you wear the Shu uniform?"

"I'm in my third year here at the Academy!" He proclaimed with pride and a very subtle hint of relief.

"Oh! So that means you're a senior?!"

Pang Tong nodded smugly. His shining moment was rudely interrupted by Fei's instantaneous uproar. An undeniably large, hairy, and pungently odorous arm slung much too close to the old man's neck.

"You forgot to mention that you were actually expelled from the school fifteen years ago!" Fei added with a great smile.

"T-that's not true!" Pang Tong glared daggers at the man nearly choking him once again. "…and at least I'm not a washed up alcoholic!"

"What'd you just call me?!" Fei roared and his face turned beet red with anger.

Between Tong and Fei's petty argument, Yun was lost in his thoughts. Lately he has been plagued by two unique but interrelated problems. The first being the question of duelist spirit, where does it come from? How is it triggered? Liu Bei only gave a surface level description of its usage – but Yun desired more than that. Then there's the issue of Ma Chao. His outburst the other day was very sudden to say the least. It seemed as though he still harboured the previous resentment towards Cao Cao, though given the circumstances this isn't exactly a surprise. Had Yun known him for longer, this likely would have been predictable. Perhaps Tong might be able to lend his perspective on the matter…but how to convince him? In his mind, there was only one way that made sense.

"Pang Tong, duel with me!"

Yun's bold statement stopped the two bickering men dead in their tracks. Zhang Fei had a look of excitement that contrasted greatly to Tong's evident displeasure.

"What?" Pang Tong spoke with a flash of disbelief.

"An upperclassman will always remain my upperclassman; I want to witness your capabilities myself! But, there's a condition!"

"…and that is?"

"If I win, you owe me a second favour!" Yun proclaimed with a newfound sense of determination.

"Hmph. What's in it for me?" The old man crossed his arms like an indignant child.

Yun thought for a moment, he too wondered what an appropriate reward for his victory would be. There was just one thing he could think of, the thought of it pained him – but for this purpose he really had no choice.

"If I lose, I'll become your lab rat for those mysterious potions of yours" A tingled sensation rushed down his spine. It was as though his body resisted the thoughts of his mind and the words that flowed freely from his mouth.

"Hmm, that sounds very exciting!" The maliciousness in his attitude returned once again. "Very well. I accept this duel!"

…

The trio stepped outside of the shed. Zhao Yun stood on one end, Pang Tong occupied the opposite. Zhang Fei stood on the sidelines and watched with excitement as these two unexpected foes stared each other down.

"Are you sure about this?" Tong said with concealed emotion. He retrieved a wooden sorcerer's staff from inside his jacket and returned his gaze to Yun. Although his opponent could not see, he smiled fiendishly.

"Of course. My word is my bond!" Yun responded with a slight smile curled at his lips. He readied himself into fighting form. Pang Tong fell into his usual hunched back stance, his weapon was held very passively at his sides.

_GONG!_

The battle has begun! The duo circle cautiously around each other at the very start, Yun kept a wide stance and continued to shuffle his feet as necessary. The old man moved very erratically, his pace slowed and quickened at random intervals. Was he going to attack? Was he waiting to be attacked? Yun thought this at great measure as the two circled about without a single attack being exchanged between both duelists.

"Don't be scared Yun, show him your power!" Zhang Fei cheered for him on the sidelines.

"I understand!" Yun nodded respectfully his way, and then his focused returned solely on his gallivanting opponent. He passionately charged toward Pang Tong and then soared high in the air with his spear on the ready for his first attack. "I will not hold back! Aerial slash combo!"

With pinpoint accuracy, Yun's spear evaded Tong's defenses to deal him slashing damage translated through electrical shock. Then, immediately afterwards, Yun followed up his initial attack with a rapid, zig-zag patterned series of slashes across his opponent's exposed chest. The final blow dragged Tong unceremoniously through the grass and dirt patches on the battleground.

"Alright! Way to go Yun!" Fei's encouragement propelled him forward.

"Ungh!" Pang Tong wheezed and coughed as he slowly stirred to his feet. His eyes widened in panic as Yun did not hesitate to press the offensive. "Activate! Earth Barrier!"

Doing what only came natural to the man in times such as these; he summoned a makeshift wall composed of earth's ingredients from the ground itself. The barrier effectively divided the duelists into two separate sides. Yun forcefully halted his attack as he came upon the dirt layered barrier that expanded the battlegrounds.

"This must be the earth element Liu Bei had mentioned in his lesson…" The boy remarked while he stared upwards at the gigantic monstrosity that impeded upon his path with discontent. In addition to being very wide, the barrier also stood approximately ten feet tall.

"Exactly, and that's not all Yun!" The familiar voice snickered in jest from behind the barrier's cover.

"What?!"

"I'm about to perform a ritual that restores my youthful vitality, but this takes some considerable time to pull off. However, with the Earth barrier as my shield, your attacks are sealed!"

A faint light danced from upon high and landed on Tong's side of the barrier. The distinct sound of an electrical charge filled the air along with the mysterious chants that his opponent muttered as part of the ritual.

"Then I'll smash through that barrier!" Yun wound his spear as far back as his arms could bring it. He channeled the power in his entire body into one single, powerful strike at the barrier. "Guard Break!"

The spear was deflected from the earth barrier without leaving as much as a scratch to its surface. Yun stood there in abject disbelief. The knot in his stomach strangled intensely at his insides.

"Impossible!" Zhang Fei spoke to himself more so than anyone else.

Time was of the essence. Yun narrowed his concentration only to that which stood directly in front of him. He could concede that the Earth Barrier was indeed formidable to have withstood his guard breaking attack; fortunately he held an even more powerful attack in reserve for a scenario such as this.

"EX Attack: Spiral Spear!" In another feat of strength, Yun re-summoned his power and determination in order to drive the tip of his spear forcefully into the lower base of the wall. An invisible force intervened to deflect Yun's attack once again with incredible, almost super-human strength.

"Useless!" Pang Tong chuckled from the other side. "No matter what you do, there will be no way to break through the Earth Barrier!"

_"__Pang Tong's power to recuperate his damages in combination with the Earth Barrier's ability to seal off all attacks, what a deadly combo! Although he hasn't landed a single hit on me yet, the fact that he may still worries me. But, no matter how many times I can attack him…he will always recover! It's an impeccable tactic, as expected of a third year duelist!" Yun spoke from with his internal monologue. _

As he stood dumbfounded by the pinch he guided himself into by the tip of his spear, Pang Tong waited patiently for the ritual to be completed. Tong laughed with satisfaction with the knowledge that Yun struggled to find a way out.

_"__Just a little while longer…" _Tong thought to himself with a diabolical grin. His body gleefully consumed the healing currents that flowed directly into his body. _"Writhe and struggle all you like Zhao Yun, but soon it will all be over!"_

"Is there really nothing I can do now?!" Yun trembled within his own thoughts as the stakes of the match's wager weighed heavier on his mind.

"You can do it Yun! Believe in yourself!" A loud and very familiar voice called out from the sidelines. Yun looked over in shock to see the comforting face of Xu Shu who stood on the sidelines alongside Ma Chao.

"What?!"

"Don't give up!" Zhang Fei joined in on the encouragement line.

"Yun! Show us your duelist spirit! Show us the fires that ignite your every battle!" Chao gave Yun a knowing nod accompanied by a positive smile.

"Fire…? That's right!" The proverbial lightbulb lit up in the depths of his mind. The path to his victory was clear at last! Yun turned to face the troublesome Earth Barrier once more. Where he was initially frozen with fear now left a burning mark of confidence etched in his entire expression. "Pang Tong, I've finally discovered the answer to your Earth Barrier!"

"What'd you say?!"

"Embodying the spirit of the dragon, may my power guide the world to a new era! Shin Musou Ranbu! Flying Dragon!" Yun lunged forward, powered by the element of fire – it made his heart flutter with excitement. In a flash of burning passion, he managed to smash through the Earth Barrier. The momentum of his attack drove the spear straight into Pang Tong whose eyes were suddenly struck with fear.

_"__The Earth element's principle weakness…to think he would have been able to figure it out in such a short period of time!" _

Pang Tong was defeated; his consciousness was lost – consumed by the powerful shockwaves that raptured his old, tired body. Upon his defeat, the Earth barrier had completely vanished.

"Alright!" Chao, Shu, and Fei happily rejoiced in his victory. Yun lowered his spear to the side and approached them with a tired but happy smile on his face.

"Thanks everyone! And to you Ma Chao, I would have lost without your help!"

To this, Ma Chao simply shook his head.

"You had the strength all along; sometimes you just need someone to remind you"

"Well, I suppose we should get moving if we want to be on time for our first class" Yun smiled gratefully and the trio basked in the following silence that said more than words really could at that point. On cue, they departed for their morning hour classes side by side. For that brief moment, everything seemed to be perfect.

Hidden discreetly in the background, Xiahou Dun had been steadily observing Yun through the scope of his recording video camera. He smirked evily, still unbeknownst to them all, as he left for the Wei dormitory.

**Got any advice or tips for a better reading of my story? Let me know through review!**


	10. Hell Soldier: Duelist of the Underground

**Chapter 10 is here at last! **

**Probably should have included a disclaimer for legal purposes earlier...but obviously, I don't own the rights to the characters or anything related to DW for that matter.**

**Also, this story desperately needs a theme song! I have ideas of my own, but I'd like to have someone's opinion on that. Anyway, enough talk. Enjoy!**

The plan was set into motion. That very evening, a private jet flew upon high along the night skies. A man sat by himself in a most grandiose presentation of first-class luxury. The scraps and shell of a gourmet lobster dinner littered his plate. A lovely looking flight attendant swiftly cleaned the mess and replaced it with a small bottle of red wine accompanied by a single glass. He took the glass rather boorishly into his large, calloused hands and poured himself a drink. He swished its contents around the bottom rather coarsely; two tiny droplets appeared on the table in front of him. Before he could begin to voice his displeasure, the flight attendant returned with a white cloth which she used to wipe the table until it returned sparkling clean.

"So this's Cao Cao's way of introducin' himself is it?" He muttered to himself as he downed his entire glass of wine in a single go. Refreshed, a brazen exhale escapes him. He joyously poured himself another glass. "I could get used to this!"

"Attention: We are preparing to land, please fasten your seat belt" The pilot instructed him over the PA system.

"I guess it's time…"

The jet plane descended toward the Academy airstrip in a calm, controlled manner. The man stared at the massive runway from his view nearby the windows. Bright neon lights illuminated the track in the midst of fallen darkness. He casually glanced around the area for a sight of the man who invited him here. However, aside from the runway, the airstrip was poorly lit.

The plane's landing gear made final contact with the ground and its rubber wheels spun ardently along the asphalt. Eventually, they slowed to a halt. The man was ushered by the flight attendant down a side staircase. A military jeep painted black as the night welcomed their arrival. Xiahou Dun leaned impatiently against the side of the vehicle with his arms crossed in an expression of boredom.

"Huh? Where's Cao Cao?!" The man demanded to know, having realized that he was not present at the runway.

"I'll take you to him. Follow me…" Dun invited the man into the rear passenger seat of the vehicle. The driver stepped on the gas as the jeep departed for Han Academy.

…

The two men reached the wrought iron gates that separated the Academy campus and the Wei Dormitory. A couple of prefects stood vigilantly on the other end. Dun gave a small nod their way before the gates were opened and they were allowed to enter. They followed a stone tiled walkway that led into a small, decorative courtyard complete with stone benches and a large, ever-flowing fountain located at the very centre. Just after that stood the Wei dormitory itself, an impressive sight to behold or so the man offhandedly thought to himself. Totaling at four storeys high, the Wei dorm was rivaled in size only by the main building itself. In addition, its whitewashed walls and stone layered façade designs worked in tandem with the spectacular array of blue banners to positively bring the place to life.

_"Looks like Cao Cao is overflowing with money…This'll be interesting!"_ The man pondered with an evil, scheming grin as they entered inside.

"He should be in his office…this way" Dun guided the man up the flights of stairs until they reached the top floor. Students in the hallways glanced over at them with wonder, suspicion, and a few murmurs of dialogue being exchanged around the Wei student populace.

Around the corner and into the final hallway they went. This particular hallway was completely empty apart from the two of them. Dun stopped at a door labelled as the Head of Wei's office. The man also confirmed this upon seeing a large portrait of Cao Cao hung on the opposite wall. Dun knocked, an austere voice commanded them to enter. Cao Cao was at his desk, a neatly organized pile of papers laid next to him. There was also another sheet of paper in front of him which he appeared most interested to look at. In addition to Cao Cao and themselves, the presence of Xiahou Yuan, Xun Yu, and Guo Jia filled the spacious office respectfully.

"…You must be Dian Wei!" Cao Cao looked up from his work, a gleam of anticipation and desire written clearly in his expression.

"The infamous underground duelist…" Xun Yu uttered from aside with a cool shudder that raised the hairs on one's spine.

"Said to have never been defeated!" Xiahou Yuan joined in with his humble praise.

"…and whose opponents were left in a crippling pain" Guo Jia added with mock grievance, an acted sense of sympathy that overshadowed a secret sadistic tendency.

"Perhaps you are able to defeat him…" Cao Cao led on ever so temptingly as he twirled his pen in a weave through his fingers. Like a carrot tied to a stick, he dangled the mysteriousness of a new challenge over Dian Wei's head with a manipulator's showmanship.

"Hmph. You're sending me in to fight little kids…I won't even break a sweat!" Dian Wei responded frankly as he gloatingly smiled.

Cao Cao smirked at the rather confident brute as he towered over his entourage. He wore the scars of his previous battles with pride as a testament to his infallible glory. The image of his bloodied opponent left in a cowering heap gave Cao Cao the tremendous rush he had longed for quite some time. Cao Cao quickly returned to seriousness as he eyed him silently from his seated position.

"Your opponent is no ordinary child..." Dun interjected.

Dian Wei, however, appeared confused by this remark. Cao Cao motioned to Dun who quickly retrieved a metallic, rod-like substance. With a press of a button, an 8x10 holographic screen shot out from an opening on the side of the device. An image of Zhao Yun along with a compilation of any pertinent data associated with his name appeared on the screen. The device was then handed over to Dian Wei for review.

"Your task will be to _break_ him!" Cao Cao emphasized his point with his fist slammed onto the polished birch desktop. The members of his entourage jumped from their spots but remained silent nonetheless. Cao Cao reveled at the situation. "How exactly you work to carry out my plans is entirely up to you…"

"Sounds very interesting…" Dian Wei sinisterly laughed. "I'll beat this Yun kid until he can't even move, but I want double pay when I do!"

Dun and the rest of Cao's entourage were simply shocked by the outrageousness of such a demand though the Head of Wei appeared calm, overjoyed in fact. Xiahou Yuan stepped in to protest, but Cao Cao waved away his concerns with a hand before he turned his attention back to the eager duelist before him.

"Very well, if you win, I will give you double the pay I originally promised you!"

The others stared at Cao Cao in shock. Such a bold demand and yet he had quickly agreed to the man's ascribed conditions. Though Dian Wei was more than satisfied with the agreement, the others exhibited some confliction of thoughts.

"Master Cao Cao, please reconsider!" Xun Yu, who had mostly hid in the background throughout the majority of this conversation, decided to step into frame.

"Yeah! This guy's charging way too much for his services!" Xiahou Yuan joined in.

Guo Jia slouched comfortably against the wall as he watched this on-going argument unfold. His eyes stared carefully at Cao Cao in analysis. He pondered the situation in front of him as it hastily occurred. The inner workings of his mind raced to decode his master's true intentions although the only reasonable answer was plain and simple.

"Perhaps the end justifies the means…" He offered up in defense of Cao Cao's decision.

"Zhao Yun and Shu have been a nuisance for far too long now" Dun stated with a look of disgust. His words flowed with a venomous disdain of their ilk. "Cousin, this is our chance for revenge!"

"I understand. Dian Wei, make it so!" Cao Cao stood passionately from his seat and gave the final order within a single motion of his steel-heartened gesture towards the door.

"As you wish!" He said before he stomped loudly out of the room, that very same devilish grin still written clearly on his face.

…

Yun's chopsticks flurried at an alarming rate as he gulped down his bowl of rice without remorse. His stomach roared with content as though it had just accessed its first food source in days. Chao appeared to follow suit, their bowls were empty in a flash. Xu Shu watched with a knowing smile as they proceeded to swipe, in unison, downward at their vacant bowls with the expectation of witnessing another clump of rice ascend toward their mouths. Then he observed the disappointed frown on their faces when the sad truth had finally dawned upon them. Xu Shu covered his mouth to supress a chuckle as his two dumbfounded friends struggled to come to grips with the reality.

"NO WAY…!" They groaned loudly together. A cry of pain was heard from their stomachs, the demands for more food were almost ceaseless.

"Rice today, rice yesterday, maybe even rice tomorrow…" Chao said with a frown. He was hunched over the table; his eyes stared hopelessly into the empty bowl in front of him. "How are we supposed to survive like this?!"

"I wish there was more for us to eat…" Yun sighed in disappointment.

"Here" Xu Shu slid his bowl of rice down to the end of the table where it met their hungered eyes at an intersection. Their chopsticks raised, ready to swoop in for the kill, although by some miraculous feat of willpower, their hands were stayed - though they shook with excitement. "You can share mine"

"Are you serious?!" They both gawked at the boy incredulously. His bowl of rice, only a quarter of it eaten, was enough to cause them to salivate. The temptation grew excruciating for them to bear.

"Yeah. You guys trained harder than I did today, so I guess you deserve it more. Besides…"

"Thank you!" This was all the confirmation they needed. Yun and Chao raced each other in snatching mouthfuls of rice. Big, hearty smiles replaced their gloominess in a split second.

"…You're both clearly hungrier than I am" Shu proceeded to finish, though also aware that his friends no longer paid attention to anything he said.

They emptied the bowl of rice in possibly record time. Two pairs of chopsticks were dropped to the wooden table with a clang. Their gratified exhales told everything there needed to be known.

"I think my stomach is finally pleased!" Ma Chao patted his lovingly with his hand.

"Thank you, Xu Shu! You really saved us!"

"I-it was nothing…" He mumbled quietly and bashfully hung his head; a tiny smile crept up onto his face. "I'm glad you enjoyed it"

Meanwhile, seated at tables all around them were the horrified faces of students who did not get to have seconds. Instead, they were left to sit and scowl at the sight of their empty bowls until Liu Bei inevitably came to collect them. Afterwards, they would be sent away to their rooms, hungry and disillusioned.

"This sucks!" One student complained. His negative comment sparked a symphony of hungered moans.

I'm so hungry…!" The student sitting opposite to the first at one of the other tables expressed with sorrow.

"I hear the students at Wei are served gourmet dishes from all over the world…" A third student joined in as they begun to dream of such a fantastic paradise, where food of all diversities was presented to them in a copious amount. They could eat to their heart's content, then even eat some more. It was a never ending vision of a fantasy land, the one thing that could moderate the plummeted morale that was widespread amongst the Shu ranks.

Naturally, the topic of Wei's fine dining habits spurred much discussion throughout the table, mostly of an envious manner. However, in this mix of chattering students, there was one student in particular who appeared to be lost in thought. He said nothing as the others continued to outwardly share their displeasure. Rather, the boy started to smile a very scheming smile.

"I just thought of something! Listen closely; I've got a plan…" The boy stated as he gestured with his index finger for the other members of his table to gather around. His beady little eyes scanned suspiciously around the room to make sure nobody spied on them. "We'll sneak into the Wei dorm and steal some of their food for ourselves!"

"Alright! We bring our weapons and then raid the Wei dorm in the middle of the night!" The first student whispered secretively. A newfound fire reached the pupils of his eyes.

"What if our dorm heads spot us?" The second glanced worryingly toward the kitchen as if they would appear at that exact moment.

"If we leave now, they won't notice that we're gone!" The third chimed in.

"It's settled, we'll head for Wei!" The mastermind boy privately announced as they all stood from their table at once and sprinted out of the cafeteria.

The other students of Shu also rose from their seats and trudged dejectedly back to their respective rooms. Seconds later, Liu Bei and Guan Yu emerged from the kitchen area and started to collect the empty bowls from each table. A bright smile appeared on the Head of Shu's face when he noticed Yun and company remained in their usual seats and immediately approached them.

"Ah! It is a pleasure to see you three down here tonight. I hope you are adjusting to the new school routine"

"We are!" The three boys nodded their heads in agreement. "There are so many interesting faces around here, like Pang Tong for example…"

Liu Bei appeared taken by surprise, he then chuckled to himself. Yun suspected that he was keenly aware of the old man's odd behavioural patterns. Chao and Shu, on the other hand, were left safely in the dark. Ignorance is bliss, he thought.

"Yes, Pang Tong is _especially_ interesting to say the least…" Liu Bei sagely responded.

"He's the only one that can keep up with Zhang Fei's drinking habits…" Guan Yu commented from aside as he carried a large tray of bowls into the kitchen.

From what he could recall, Yun did notice the excess amount of wine jugs on the concrete floor of Tong's experimentation shed. Also, the incident he had with Zhang Fei which ultimately saved his life – there's no way he could forget about that. With the amount of wine they apparently consumed on a daily basis, Yun wondered if they had developed a precarious drinking problem.

"Speaking of Master Zhang Fei, where is he right now?" Chao inquired.

"Too drunk to be of any use to us, unfortunately…" Bei frowned.

Ma Chao scoffed at his reply and crossed his arms in a dramatic show of disappointment.

"If I were you, I'd ban him from drinking wine for good! It is a selfish and unjust way of dealing with one's own problems! Anyone who has ever resorted to drinking is a coward!"

"Is the noble warrior, Ma Chao, insinuating that he is in fact a coward?" Guan Yu chided the boy in his return from the kitchen area at just the perfect timing to have caught wind of Chao's mini-tirade. The other three did their best to suppress their laughter, though they fought a losing battle.

"I-I was unaware that Zhang Fei had poured wine in my cup at the time…so it doesn't count!" He replied adamantly in defense of himself. It appeared as though Shu wanted to say something though instead he had dropped the matter entirely with a carefree shrug.

"Anyway…" Bei quickly changed tact before an argument could erupt in the cafeteria. "I believe you boys should be spending this time in your room studying. We wouldn't want our students to be surpassed by the other dorms now!"

"Yeah!" Yun nodded. "I will see you again tomorrow Master Liu Bei, Master Guan Yu!"

The three boys bowed respectfully to their dorm heads before being ushered out of the cafeteria. They proceeded up the rickety old staircase and walked down the way into their room.

…

"Clear!" The mastermind boy whispered to his comrades as they hurried around the corner of the main building. With the Wei dorm in their sights, he took point. Only the sound of their feet against the cobblestone and the clang of their iron weapons could be heard in the eerie silence of the night.

"Keep your eyes peeled for prefects" The first boy quickly surveyed the surrounding area as they ran.

"Be quiet!" The second boy whispered. His body shook in a combination of starvation and an erratic excitement. "They might hear us!"

"Look out! There's someone up ahead!" The third boy was the first to notice the presence of a faded silhouette in the moonlight. He pointed his finger straight ahead where it stood perfectly in place.

Unfortunately for them, there was no alternative. The path to Wei was laid through whomever this mysterious person happened to be. Despite the inherent risk, the boys pushed onward. As they drew closer, they had begun to see that the faded silhouette was actually Dian Wei. The boys finally stopped within earshot, their hands tightened around their weapons as a precaution.

"Going somewhere?" He sneered at them. His menacing glare alone was enough to elicit the buckle of their knees.

"Who are you?" The boy noticed Dian Wei did not dress in the standard school uniform.

"That's the least of your worries..." Dian Wei replied.

"Move out of our way or we'll move you with force!" The mastermind threatened, he raised his sword threateningly at the man – the other three followed his lead.

"By force you say?" Dian Wei calmly toyed with the battle axe in his hands. Its iron blade, both sharp and thick, reflected the terrified expressions of his opponents. "That sounds very exciting!"

"Cut the bullshit!" The mastermind glared daggers at his brutish foe. The other three watched with awe as he firmly held his ground against such a threatening opponent just some feet ahead. "There are four of us and only one of you, you'd never defeat us!"

"Yeah! We have the advantage, there's nothing for us to fear!" The first boy rallied behind his leader. He raised his spear into an attack position. The tip of his blade pointed directly at Dian Wei's head.

"You made a big mistake challenging us four to a duel!" The second boy, sparked by confidence, raised his throwing knives into a combat ready position.

"You're going to regret this!" The third boy readied his great sword. An image of his opponent's inevitable defeat flashed through his mind.

Dian Wei cracked his neck before he prepared himself for battle. Tensions thickened as the stare down between the two parties spanned greater lengths of time. Their unjustified arrogance surged excitement through his veins with great delight. With his reputation and Cao Cao's reward on the line, a loss to these peons would do him no good.

GONG!

Immediately, a dark cloud formed over top of the duelists in combat…it was the beginning of the end for the poor, unsuspecting duelists of Shu who had hopelessly confronted the wrong opponent. Despite their bravado and combined efforts, Dian Wei looked forward to the torture they would receive tenfold. Their final screams of agony as they succumbed to the power of darkness rang like music to his ears.

**As always, let me know what you think. Hate is also accepted...in fact, it's encouraged! **

**If anyone is interested in playing some Dynasty Warriors 8 Empires Online, let me know! **

**Otherwise, farewell for now!**


	11. The Element of Darkness

Morning had finally broken through the windows at the side of the room. Cao Pi's eyes fluttered amidst the sunlight. Stirred to activity, he slowly rolled into a seated position on the side of his bed. There he yawned, stretched, and parted away the strands of bedraggled black hair that clung undesirably to his face. Sounds of shattered glass were heard as he rose to his feet. The boy glared in contempt at the unpalatable mess he had created in his room several nights before; somehow it looked even worse today. All the while, his blood boiled beneath his skin, for he knew that hidden somewhere under the piles of dust and shards was a piece of himself that he could never obtain again.

He felt a sharp pain as the pointed edge of broken glass swiped at the side of his foot. He watched expressionlessly as blood slowly trickled onto the floor from where a small gash appeared. Cao Pi shook his head rigorously in an attempt to clear away the ever persistent memories of that fateful night – to no avail. He gritted his teeth in a difficult stumble across the room as his feet were ravaged by the broken pieces of his former trophy case.

Eventually, he stopped at the door into his room and the sole obstacle that kept him away from the world's judgemental eyes. The small cuts and the flared pain in his foot became little more than a numbed sensation or a thought in passing. His eyes bored deeply into the wooden door frame as though he faced the Great Wall of China. Suddenly, the gloating image of Yun flashed through the recesses of his mind. The boy's vexatious laughter echoed in his head. It sounded so close, yet he stood so far.

In an instant, Cao Pi was no longer in the room he once occupied. Rather, he now stood on a path illuminated by a white light that nearly blinded his eyes upon first glance. The path stretched endlessly ahead of him. All aspects of the galaxy surrounded his field of view. Earth continued its orbital rotation on the sidelines as he floated in awe in the realm of space itself.

_"Where am I…?"_ He asked of himself as he stared at the breathtaking view of the entire universe in its improbable magnificence. The multitude of burning stars that rested upon high lit the way for his eyes to marvel at its intricate construction through the laws of physics.

_"Cao Pi! It looks like I've won!" _Yun called to him in a fit of mock laughter.

_"That voice…show yourself!"_ Pi searched the entire extraterrestrial for the body that matched his despicable voice.

_"Look ahead" _He said. Cao Pi looked down the illuminated path. Yun's imaginary body posed triumphantly with his homemade spear in the distance. He smiled back at Pi who coiled with disgust as they met eyes. He looked tired but proud of himself, as though he fought in a duel and ultimately won.

_"Where are we?"_

_"On the path to greatness…" _The imaginary Yun responded with a gesture around him to the brightly lit world that encompassed the entirety of their encounter. All other background noise was minimized and hardly audible to their ears.

_"The path…to greatness…?" _ Cao Pi muttered in a state of profound bewilderment. His heart trembled undeniably as he stared down the supposed path of greatness that extended far beyond his eye's reach, and to his greatest rival who stood even further along that road than he.

_"Cao Pi…" _Yun began; his thoroughly amused expression was wiped completely clean and replaced instead by a stern, forceful look. _"I've surpassed you!"_

Those last three words repeated over and over again as Cao Pi faded into darkness. It cut through his insides like a sharpened knife and jabbed at the empty void in his soul. He was returned to the world he originally inhabited with a new scar in his pride. His chest began to beat with a sense of haste. He caged his heart within the palm of his hand as he winced in evident pain.

"Yun," Pi muttered under his ragged breath. His free hand clenched into a vice gripped fist that shook with the fanned flames of a fiery wrath. "I will have my revenge!"

…

There was a large gathering of Shu students outside their dorm heads' room. Yun and company were among the first to arrive at the scene. Concerned chatter travelled throughout the audience as students took it upon themselves to inform the others who just woke up for the start of the new day. An unearthly silence resonated on the opposite end which only complicated the matter.

"They haven't left their room or said a word to any of us. I'm starting to worry." Zhao Yun was quick to sense the unusual vibe this morning had already gave off.

"As I thought…the rumours must be true" Xu Shu sighed with a grave concern. There were murmurs of speculation exchanged behind them. A rather gloomy disposition appeared to be the overall tone.

"Damn! No doubt those punks of Wei had something to do with it!" Ma Chao said with a huff. "When I get my hands on them, they'll pay what they owe us in kind!"

"We don't know that the rumors are true" Yun turned to his ill-tempered friend. It became obvious that Chao itched to take action. Or rather, he yearned for righteous justice. Yun wondered if he would be able retain his composure in such a passive state amidst the events. "We'll simply have to wait and see what Master Bei, Master Yu, and Master Fei tell us"

They returned to silence as the doorknob turned from inside of the room. Students were quickly hushed as Liu Bei appeared before them. His disappointed expression moved his student body to worry as he paused to articulate his response to the innumerable line of questions that likely remained on everyone's mind. It was an impatient wait for his final deliberation.

"I thank you for the amount of concern you have all devoted to your comrades' safety. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and I are tending to their injuries and assure you that they are in a stable condition. Please continue your day as a student of Shu and work hard for the glory of your peers"

"What happened to them?!" Someone from within the crowd fired back. The negative energy doubled in an instant as the crowd was driven to a staunch uproar. Yun and company winced in great displeasure as the noise climbed to an unbearable height.

"Tell us!"

"Tell us!" The angered students outside of the Shu dorm anxiously shouted.

Eventually, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei made their grand appearances. Disorder had already dominated outside of their room within just minutes of the initial announcement. They rushed to Bei's side and joined him against the bombardment of complaints strung together in a chaotic, angry, and incoherent fashion. While Yu calmly accepted the complaints in stride, Fei grew progressively more furious in a stark contrast.

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" Zhang Fei screamed ferociously, his voice echoed across the entire campus for the others dorms to hear. The power of his tone moved the most immovable mountains, quelled the wildest fires, halted the flow of the most raged waters, and caused the entire Shu student body to collapse under the pressure of his voice. What followed immediately after his unbelievable shout was the sound of tranquil silence.

"The issue at hand is firmly under our control" Guan Yu stared with a fatherly gaze upon his students who were still sprawled along the grass. He slowly stroked at his long, flowing black beard as it shimmered elegantly in the morning sunlight. He turned to Master Bei with a small but resilient grin left on his face.

"Do not let this hinder your daily routine. It is important that we always succeed in our education. We will inform you of any updates on their physical conditions. However, for now, please see yourselves off to the next class" Liu Bei concluded the impromptu meeting with his final words. The other students rose to their feet and left, albeit with some choice mutterings that the Shu Heads chose to ignore. Bei then turned his attention to Yun and company who were among the last to remain. "Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Xu Shu, may I have a word with you three for a moment?"

Yun and company followed the Shu heads inside their dorm room. It was very small, even in comparison to the place which they slept in every night. There were three double sized mattresses positioned side by side on the left hand portion of the room. On the right side, there was a desk identical to the one found in their room, except with a far more complicated spread of papers that cluttered its surface. There were also four white blankets strewn along the cold, hard floor near the back of the room where said injured students laid unconsciously. With barely anywhere to stand, much less walk, Yun and company found themselves pressed together in a tight-knitted formation at the entrance.

"So the rumours really were true after all?" Yun stated regrettably. The three boys were beheld with the horrible sight of their peers reduced to bedridden shells of their former selves.

"They managed to sneak off in the middle of the night sometime after the dinner service. The prefects found them unconscious outside of the Wei dorm" Bei nodded in a grave affirmation. "The readings on their battle suits indicated they were engaged in combat with someone shortly before they collapsed. It's all our fault though, we couldn't even watch over a handful of students."

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei stared shamefully at the ground, even Liu Bei fidgeted with his hands like a restless child. The humiliation which this event has brought them was something rather unfamiliar for the eyes of three young students at a prestigious academy boarding school to witness.

"They must have been driven mad with hunger" Ma Chao mournfully postulated.

"It's not your fault. Their wounds will heal in time" Yun offered his comforting words in an attempt to ease them of their pain. Though deep inside he knew his words formed the sounds of sweet nothingness that floated away in the distance.

Liu Bei opened his mouth to respond, but the words never came out – he hesitated for a moment. The three dorm heads gazed awkwardly in entirely different directions of the room while they avoided Yun's eyes all together. The boy grew suspicious and his eyes more inquisitive. It was clear that a bigger issue lingered behind the silent façade. Ma Chao too felt this uneasy vibe, his eyes narrowed toward their speechless masters.

Xu Shu was fixated on the bodies of the injured students as they rested side by side. Their skin was coloured a sickly pale, devoid of all conscious life. They lay stiffer than the grip of death. Upon closer inspection, he also realized one other crucial fact that gave him an inordinate pause. The tightened knot in his stomach foretold of an unsettling fate…

"They…they don't have any" Shu was the first to break the news.

"What? / What?!" Yun and Chao exclaimed in unison.

Indeed, under further examination, the students in question had not even a single scratch anywhere to be seen on their bodies. The younger trio were rendered baffled by this latest discovery.

"How is this…"

"…Possible? / …Possible?!"

"I assume you're familiar with the Six Classical Elements of Dueling, yes?" Bei sensed the confusion in his first year students and stepped in to explain.

"Fire" Yun started.

"Ice" Xu Shu said.

"Wind" Ma Chao added.

"Earth" Fei included.

"Light" Guan Yu joined.

"And darkness." Liu Bei finally finished the last recital of the elements. "It is said that, in the Three Kingdoms period of ancient China, warriors wielded these elements during battle in the service of their lords and kingdoms. The elements were a reflection of the heart's desire to see change in the chaos that had devastated the land…"

"A reflection…of the heart's desire?" Yun repeated the words to himself. His memory of Liu Bei's lesson on the elements of dueling returned into his mind as the theory of a subconscious activation is presented to him once again.

"In the midst of this chaos, an evil, power-hungry tyrant had assassinated the emperor of China and ascended the throne himself. During his reign, villages were destroyed, families were torn apart, and the people lived in utter misery. Those who survived to witness such atrocities eventually lost hope for the future of humanity and so the element of darkness was born in their hearts. It consumed them, the darkness drove them to propagate the chaos and bring about the end of the world once and for all…"

"Impossible-!" Ma Chao protested.

"No, the element of darkness is a truly terrifying existence!" Liu Bei was quick to interrupt him. There was a distinct sense of fervor in his words. He stood behind his story with the utmost of his pride and confidence that even Ma Chao knew to stand down.

"The element of darkness has another ability too!" Zhang Fei said.

"A second ability…?"

"Yes." Guan Yu answered with a nod. "Aside from its ability to corrupt our hearts, the element of darkness can also trap people's minds in the inescapable world of one's subconscious"

"It's sorta like going into a coma!" Zhang Fei added with just a bit more excitement than necessary. He scratched at the back of his ruffled black hair nervously as he purposely avoided Bei and Yu's stern glaring. He roughly cleared his throat and mustered a serious tone in order to save face with his students and fellow headmasters. "I-it's quite dangerous actually!"

"Is there anything we can do to help them?" Yun pointed, of course, to the four comatose students who soundly lazed away against their will beside one another. Their eerie silence multiplied the tension that already thickened the room's atmosphere. However, Yun and company were met with another moment of silence – an all too telling answer, unfortunately.

"I don't know." Bei replied. "The reason you're here is because we need your help"

"What do you mean?" The three boys stood in confusion as they each wondered how they could possibly be of any use. They only learned of the element of darkness' terrifying ability just now and the problem has already stumped their own teacher of the intricately layered world.

"Though it is not the most ideal of circumstances, we ask that you assist us in watching over the members of Shu"

Yun and company were surprised at such a request. After all, they were only first years themselves. For them to play the role of supervisors over people they could count as their equals, why? There was no logical explanation for Master Bei's faith in the trio. Not to mention that this was exactly the kind of job for the prefects to handle. Xu Shu contemplated this wildly in his head.

It all seemed rather strange when he thought about it. First, it was the incident with Yun's spear being stolen by the members of Wei. Second, the incident which was currently on their minds, from the first day onward things had been rather strange to say the least.

_"The Cao family are not very gracious losers. I heard they will go to any lengths to exact their revenge…" _Those were the words he used to warn Yun when he had made the terrible mistake of winning his duel with Cao Pi.

_"That's right!" _He thought to himself. _"The boys in blue that had stolen Yun's spear were members of Wei, which means they were probably ordered by Cao Cao to do so! Could it be possible then…?" _

"This sounds like a job for the new bringers of justice!" Xu Shu's thoughts were interrupted as Ma Chao shouted ever so proudly. His eagerness brought a smile to the faces of Shu's dorm heads despite being at the expense of his ability to hear for the next few minutes.

"Jeez…won't you ever learn to use an inside voice for once?!" The young boy pinched at the bridge of his nose in irritation.

…

After their meeting with Liu Bei, Yun and company immediately rushed off to the main building. In the instant they opened the doors at the front entrance; they were greeted by the sounds of bustling students as they carried their books and weapon bags onward to their classes. Of all the places on the campus, this was perhaps the only place where the students of the three dorms ever gathered in the same location.

From the noise to the bright lights, from the footsteps of hurried students to the slow, rhythmic march of the prefects back and forth, the place held a lively atmosphere from the get-go. Fueled with a newfound confidence, Ma Chao strutted happily at point as the trio waded through the gathering of students around the main lobby.

"You look oddly happy right now" Yun caught a glimpse of his opportunistic smile as they rounded a corner into a long, narrow hallway. They squeezed in the tiny available spaces between other students as they were packed nearly wall to wall like sardines.

"Of course!" He replied "Master Bei needs our help and has trusted us to uphold justice! I, Ma Chao, shall do so without fail!"

"That's just like you Chao" He replied with a small laugh.

They entered their designated classroom and sat down with their peers of Shu just like they had done in the past. Everybody withdrew their books in preparation for today's lesson. An automated door slid open at the front end of the room; Cao Cao suddenly appeared and took to the stage. The clack of his boots echoed throughout the room with each step he took. He turned to his curious audience; his face was stoic and unreadable. A dead silence had befallen the entire room.

"Cao Cao…" Ma Chao appeared visibly unhappy to witness him once again. His lighthearted smile fell into a deep, hardened scowl. A deeply held anger resurfaced once again. Though maybe it was justified, after all how else would one expect him to have reacted given their history?

"Don't do anything reckless!" Yun warned him with a barring of his forearm across the boy's puffed chest. Chao's breathing grew louder and more forceful than he had ever seen before. It was a surprise that the other students were not already aware of it by now.

Cao Cao scanned faces of the students carefully. The stern gaze of Wei's Yue Jin and Li Dian, then the undeniable presence of Wu's Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, Cao Cao finally stopped when his eyes met with Yun and company. He welcomed them especially with a mischievous grin that the others appeared completely oblivious to.

"Bastard…" Chao muttered distastefully under his breath. His muscles tensed, he wanted to finally return all the pain that man had caused him many years ago. Yun tightened his hold on his friend and feared for the worst yet to come.

"Order represents the laws that govern our everyday lives. In the realm of politics, order is what controls us...what punishes people who misbehave" Cao Cao stated with another knowing glance over at the trio. "However, chaos represents our freedom to be individuals and pursue our own goals in life. Chaos without order would lead this country into total anarchy, order without chaos leads to the birth of oppressive regimes. Therefore, the two must be balanced equally on a scale of justice"

"You have no right to speak of justice!"

Indeed, when it came to a discussion of justice, there was none more worthy of an advocate than Ma Chao himself. Excitement, hatred, sorrow, these feelings brewed together in a steaming cauldron within his heart as he delivered that bold verbal declaration. The entire class, filled with countless first years of each dorm, stared at him in shock, fear, or perhaps even silent admiration.

"Chao-" Yun pleaded hopelessly with him for just a short moment before he was thoroughly shrugged off. The boy in question rose defiantly from his seat as student and teacher exchanged in a battle of glares.

"Of course, chaos can sometimes be necessary to achieve order…"

Ma Chao reached into his weapons bag and retrieved The Silver Stallion from inside. The sharpened blade and its golden trim shone dazzlingly under the array of ceiling lights. His white-knuckled hands gripped at the pole of his spear.

"Do you remember me, Cao Cao?"

Some mouths hung agape at his fierce presence. He slowly ventured into the aisles that separated the Shu students of the far left and the Wu students of the middle. The venomous tones which his words took on were a reflection of all the negativity that surged through him all at once.

"Chao! Stop!" Xu Shu's meager request ultimately fell upon deaf ears.

It was just like him, Yun thought to himself. Although it came as a surprise that Cao Cao showed no signs of fear at the sight of a formidable opponent as he spouted what might as well be a death threat from less than a hundred feet away. When Chao stubbornly held this stance, there was no law of the universe that could have held him back.

"And of the many methods humans have taken to instil order with chaos, there is one in particular that has worked time and time again…" Cao Cao continued his lesson unperturbed though his strong gaze remained exactly as it had been all this time.

"Did you ever get to look at my father's face," The first drops of tears rolled down his tanned cheeks before they created a small puddle on the stone-layered staircase of the classroom. His body trembled in a flush of unimaginable pain.

"And that method is…"

"…before you ended his life?!" He accusingly pointed at Cao Cao with the tip of his spear. The tears now poured from his eyes and utterly soaked the neck of his green uniform. Another silence filled the air as Chao awaited a proper response.

"Assassination."

In a splendid show of athleticism, Ma Chao swiftly jumped on top of the nearest Wu student's desk. The unknown student cowered in his seat as his head was nearly decapitated by the Silver Stallion's upwardly swinging blade – even his friends looked on with fright. He took off in a bee-line sprint and hopped from desk to desk as Chao made his way straight for his target at the front of the room. The students of Wu parted like the Red Sea in his indomitable charge. Resigned to his fate, Cao Cao unsheathed his sword from its scabbard and prepared for a fight. At the final row of desks, Chao jumped off his two feet into the skies themselves before he descended directly over Cao Cao's head.

"AERIAL CHARGE ATTACK!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as the force of gravity tossed his body in a chaotic downward spiral.

Two weapons clashed, the sparks of their deadlock flew in every direction. Students gasped in shock for they soon discovered someone had joined in on the action and held back Chao's great power with an even greater strength of their own. Cao Cao too appeared confused by the recent turn of events when he found himself entirely unscathed. The young boy returned to the ground once more as he glared daggers at the only person in the entire room who dared to stand between him and Cao Cao.

"I've never seen him before" Yun stared in confusion. Between Cao Cao and Chao stood a thuggish looking man, he acted as the barrier that intervened on the boy's initial attack.

"He's huge!" Xu Shu said aloud.

"Just who exactly are you?!" Ma Chao asked.

"I guess ya can say I'm the coming evil" The man raised his axe into an attacking position; a demonic smile appeared on his face. "You have to beat me before even laying a finger on Master Cao Cao!"

"I refuse to yield to any who dare cross my path!" Chao followed suit and readied his spear for the impending duel.

"Kid, I'll be your worst nightmare! Prepare yourself" The man replied. Yun, Xu Shu, and all the others watched on with anticipation for the battle to begin. But, what would be the result of a clash between the forces of righteous justice and the forces of an unknown entity?


	12. Dark Aura Cloud - Ma Chao vs Dian Wei!

"_Did you ever get to look at my father's face," The first drops of tears rolled down his tanned cheeks before they created a small puddle on the stone-layered staircase of the classroom. His body trembled in a flush of unimaginable pain. "…before you ended his life?!" _

…

"_I refuse to yield to any who dare cross my path!" Chao readied his spear for the impending duel. _

"_Kid, I'll be your worst nightmare! Prepare yourself" The man replied. Yun, Xu Shu, and all the others watched on with anticipation for the battle to begin. But, what would be the result of a clash between the forces of righteous justice and the forces of an unknown entity?_

…

There they were. Ma Chao stood with his trusted Silver Stallion spear steadied at the hip. His breathing was very loud and prolonged with a less than subtle growl that added another dimension to his crimson coloured face. Meanwhile, his opponent tightly wrapped his right hand around the steel-forged handle of his gigantic, double bladed axe like a butcher prepared to slaughter a lamb. The students of the first year class watched from their respective seats with a quivering astonishment. In an instant, the dull, monotonous classroom they once knew was turned into the stage for a spectacular showdown between two fearsome foes.

"_This's going to be interesting. What kind of dueling will they show us?" _Sun Ce wondered as his body shook endlessly about in his seat.

Like the others, his eyes were glued to the main event at the front of the classroom. Yet, being at the front and centre of it all, he was practically bathed in the heat which radiated from the duelists' bodies in the midst of their tense standoff.

Near the doors at the back of the room, Zhao Yun and Xu Shu had begun to sweat profusely while perched at the edge of their seats as well. Their stomachs fluttered in tandem with the erratic beat of their hearts. A distinctive tingling sensation rushed upwards from the base of their spines as their thoughts were turned to the implications of this match.

"_Ma Chao, win!" _Yun silently called out to his friend.

Yun could recall the moment which he had experienced his power first hand. Ma Chao rode elegantly upon horseback around the duel field and his strategies were precisely carried out. Accel Musou Ranbu…the terrifying combo that almost dragged him down along the path of defeat, he wondered if Chao would showcase that power once again.

_GONG!_

Nevertheless, the battle had finally begun. Yun's heart skipped a beat.

"I don't know who you are, but I'm going on the offensive. I hope you're prepared!" Ma Chao warned the man before he lunged forward with the momentum of a strong wind's current and slashed in a downward diagonal motion with maximum strength. "Take this, charge attack!"

The Silver Stallion crashed against the sharpened blade of his opponent's axe. The metallic clang of two collided weapons echoed off the blandly coloured walls of the classroom. Dian Wei gritted his teeth and managed to push away the edge of Ma Chao's spear temporarily.

"Tch, arrogant little brat!" Dian Wei barked as he quickly raised his arms in a bolstered defensive stance. The blade of his axe protected him from any impending attack.

"I already told you, I'll run through anyone that stands in my way!"

Unperturbed by his initial failure, Ma Chao barrelled in for another attack.

"That idiot!" Meanwhile, Xu Shu covered his eyes and emphatically shook his head back and forth. His thumb and index finger gently massaged at his weary eyelids under the throbbed pain that his head had suddenly acquired. "Why would you give away your strategy to the opponent?"

"Chao, what are you planning?" Yun muttered quietly to himself.

True to his word, Ma Chao assaulted Dian Wei's defenses with a series of rapid slashes followed by a quick succession of thrusts that alternated from strikes at his upper chest and midsection. At the same time, Dian Wei prepared his defenses and readied himself for the lightning quick attacks. Each move struck at the blade of his axe before being deflected harmlessly away from his body.

"Fool!" Dian Wei shouted. "No matter how many times you attack, you'll never defeat me!"

"Is that so?" Chao responded almost jokingly. His smile grew even larger than before. Rather than cower before his opponent's seemingly impregnable defenses, Ma Chao instead took on the stance of a predator just moments before it snagged the very life from its prey.

"What?!"

"EX: Drilling Dive Kick!"

Chao blasted forwards in the air, his entire body spun at a nearly supersonic speed. The heel of his foot slammed like a freight train into the side of Dian Wei's jaw in a superb spinning heel kick. Everyone heard the loud, cringe worthy snap of bones and watched with disgust as Ma Chao's boot utterly distorted his opponent's image. The force of the impact sent the man airborne into the right most wall of the classroom. The students of Wei took part in an excellent view of the large, head sized crater that remained in the wall where he had finally landed when it was all said and done.

"YEAH!" The Shu students all suddenly jumped out of their seats in a deafening roar of approval. Their rounds of applause served to fuel the fires of Chao's burning spirit.

"A-Amazing!" Xu Shu stared with his wide, saucer-like eyes in an abject disbelief.

"I see. To make up for the difference in physical strength, he used words to intimidate his opponent into playing defensively. By doing so, he bought himself enough time to execute his EX attack and break through the defense to deal damage." Yun proudly explained.

"Do you think he actually planned that far ahead?"

"Yeah." Yun nodded as he fondly reminisced over their duel in the previous days. "I'd expect nothing less from him"

As the students of Shu cheered on their comrade through battle, the Wei side scanned the improvised duel field with puzzled expressions. They watched Cao Cao's newest enforcer lay in a befuddled daze against the wall. His head spun in circles as the rest of his body was decimated by the pulsating electrical shockwaves that flowed through his system.

"_To think he actually managed to break through his defenses and deal damage with a single attack" _Yue Jin pondered; he leaned back in his chair and observed the match in crossed-arms.

"Listen well and remember my words!" Ma Chao raised the tip of his spear high towards the ceiling in a triumphant shout. His steadfast glare fell upon his wounded foe with content. The adrenaline of a warrior's spirit coated his veins. "A true warrior defends by attacking! I will stop at nothing to avenge my father's death! If I am not given a path, I will forge one with my own power!"

"Ma Chao!"

"Ma Chao!"

"Ma Chao!" The students of Shu chanted his name loudly for the halls of the entire school to hear.

"Who am I!?" Ma Chao gestured to his audience for a response.

"Ma Chao!" They happily cheered in their reply.

Dian Wei regathered himself and slowly rose to his feet. Stray articles of forcefully removed teeth appeared on the ground along with the bits and pieces of drywall left from the wall of the classroom. Blood poured immensely from his grotesquely disfigured jaw as it dangled precariously by the strands of a few muscle tissues. His white, skin bound undershirt was stained venetian red. More droplets trickled down the front of his iron plated chest guard in tiny streams. There were some gasps heard from the audience, either horrified by the resulting damage, or surprised because he was able to stand despite all of it.

"I-I-Impossible…" Ma Chao barely managed to get out with a shaky, disheartened exhale. The hands of his spear froze tightly in place. His eyes bulged near to the point of jumping from his skull. "Nobody has ever withstood the power of the Drilling Dive Kick"

Dian Wei resorted to a low pitched, blood curdled grunt. The sclera of his eyes transformed from a bright white to a darkened shade of purple. Ma Chao suddenly felt a very intense pressure weigh on his body from the top down, as though it meant to compress him flat. A dark cloud emerged from nothing and moved quickly to devour the two duelists in its unnerving density.

"What is this?" One student from the Wei section pointed at the thick, dark cloud as it had appeared before them.

It was mysterious, but also awe inspiring in the way which it lorded over the duelists in the midst of their combat. The dark cloud expanded rapidly and had now conquered the entire stage of their confrontation. The students regarded its magnificence in quiet mutterings between friends and neighbours. When their beady eyes gazed upon its form with studious intent, their hearts were moved by the bottled emotions of sadness and grief burdened over the course of many centuries. The first act had been left behind in its wake and in its place the second act finally revealed itself.

"It's coming right for us!" A student from the Wu section cried outwardly. They sat helplessly at their desks as the dark aura eventually consumed them all inside its ominous boundaries.

"This pain…" Yun spoke uncomfortably as his right hand strained in a clasp over his heart.

"Don't tell me…!" Xu Shu nearly finished before an unbearable sensation in his heart drove him into a restless silence. He struggled with futility as a feeling of constriction enveloped his body.

"_The powers of darkness have finally reached the surface!" _Cao Cao anticipated with a murderous grin on his face. A flared sensation suddenly struck at his heart. The blood in his veins boiled over and traversed his bodily system with a mad ardor.

At the heart of it all, the pressure of darkness' deadly hold forced the once indomitable Ma Chao down to a knee. He held on to the Silver Stallion with his dear life at stake. On the verge of collapsing then and there, a loud bellow passed through his lungs. All of his muscles tensed for a great and defiant push. It took a feat of an iron clad will on his part before his bent knees managed even the slightest of straightening. Both hands pressed down through the shaft of his spear, all of his energy was driven into the floor underneath. His knees shook with an unprecedented violence, but straightened slightly more. A smile appeared on his face and a small wave of pride followed. He continued to fight his body despite the feeling of constriction that tangled with his heart, beyond the fires that charred him from the inside, for as long as his efforts reaped the fruits of his labour, the struggle continued. Another yell broke loose from his lungs as he rounded the final stretch. Before long, he found himself upright once again.

"Do you see now? No matter the obstacle I face, I-"Ma Chao stopped himself abruptly. His face lit up in horror. "What?! How is this possible?"

The blood stains on Dian Wei's chest vanished without warning, as did the evidence of shattered teeth that was once layered all over the floor. By the forces of dark magic, his broken jaw was quickly repaired on its own. All gashes were closed and all other marks were removed. It appeared as though he was entirely unharmed by any of Chao's raging attacks. The man retrieved his weapon from the floor near his feet and glared back at the teenager.

"He was…revived?" Zhou Yu froze in shock along with the rest of his class.

"What's going on?" Li Dian added with a compounded confusion.

"I can feel it, the element of darkness!" Dian Wei boisterously rejoiced. An outline of his veins had begun to protrude from his arms, legs, and even his neck to form a series of inter-connected blood vines on his body. "The power's consumin' me from head to toe!"

"So you're able to wield dark powers huh?" Chao steadily returned to his fighting stance. His eyes narrowed solely to his opponent. "I've heard about you."

"Oh?" Wei proceeded to question though his conspicuously amused disposition already spoke volumes to the situation at hand.

"Unforgivable! I shall defeat you in the name of justice and avenge my fallen comrades!"

"Chao…" Yun muttered under his breath. He stared upwards at the dark cloud that surrounded them. An instinctual feeling surfaced in the depths of his being, a terrible foreboding left him to wonder…

…

"_The element of darkness has another ability too!" Zhang Fei said._

"_A second ability…?" Asked Ma Chao._

"_Yes." Guan Yu answered with a nod. "Aside from its ability to corrupt our hearts, the element of darkness can also trap people's minds in the inescapable world of one's subconscious" _

…

"…_be careful._"

Without further hesitation, Chao rushed to the offensive. His battle cry reached out to the hearts of his friends and enemies alike. Each step he took was equally supported by the strength of his convictions. His opponent stood in place. His possessed eyes analyzed Chao's straightforward movements with a calm but menacing subtlety.

"Charge attack!" Chao lunged forward. The Silver Stallion moved swiftly to target its opponent's exposed body. Its blade drew within inches.

"EX: Power Up!" The man yelled in response. His body and axe were engulfed by strong amber light. A small earthquake traveled through the floors of the classroom. Chao's advance was immediately halted in its tracks as he stumbled around to regain his balance. "My strength'll surpass any mere human. You say a true warrior defends by attacking, have a taste of your own medicine!"

"Bastard…" He remarked in gritted teeth. There was little that separated him from his opponent. His body struggled to maintain its balance under the sudden and enormous pressure he felt from inside the eye of the brooding cloud. With this, he was left unable to attack nor defend from an impending attack.

"Now it's my turn! Terror Axe Strike!" The thuggish man swung his amber imbued axe with tremendous fury, its blade barrelled in for the attack at high velocity. He proceeded to execute a four hit combo of well-placed strikes across Chao's upper chest. On the final motion, Dian Wei exerted a great mass of his strength into a powerful uppercut.

The electrical currents jolted Chao without remorse. Another agonized scream released from his body as the electricity worked in tandem with the elevated surface pressures. The feelings of constriction intensified, it was as though someone else had wrapped their hands around his throat and proceeded to choke the life right out of him. The boy found himself out of breath before long. He was sprawled along the ground beside his trusted spear. He gasped desperately for whatever oxygen he could possibly retain. His lungs burned wildly with the hopes of receiving any form of release from the torture that was unceremoniously bestowed upon it.

A slashers grin appeared on his opponent's face as the burly statured man moved to press his advantage. He rallied into a ferocious charge; his movements caused small tremors in the ground beneath their feet. The blade of his axe glistened with an evil intent. Within a few feet from his defenseless opponent, Dian Wei launched into the air. He held his axe high above his head, poised to land another devastating blow.

"Aerial Charge Attack!"

"Not good…" Xu Shu mournfully reported.

"Chao!" Yun cried loudly as he immediately jumped from his seat. His hands grasped at the front edges of his desk with a nervous moment of restraint.

"Not…yet!" Chao yelled defiantly as he exerted his body strength into the floor with his arms. He pushed himself into the air with everything he could muster. All of the spectators watched him with amazement as he backtracked in order to avoid what would surely have been the finishing blow. With a graceful backflip, he finally returned to his feet. There was a sizeable indentation left in the floor from the blade of Wei's axe.

Yun and Xu Shu sighed in relief. It seemed as though the match would still continue after all. On the other hand, Chao's respiration had become very chaotic and sputtering. Each breath came like the wheeze of a dying pig. His shoulder had dropped significantly as well. With that, his spear also came much closer to the floor than ever before.

"Hmph, you're annoyingly persistent" Dian Wei gruffly complimented as he raised himself into an attacking position. Much to his opponent's dismay, his typically sinister smile was far from removed. "But, how much longer will you be able to last?"

"I'm not…finished yet!" He replied between gasps of breath.

"Look!" Xu Shu pointed frantically at the duelists, much to Yun's apparent confusion. "The amber glow!"

"It's disappearing…" Yun quickly noticed the sudden change in the man's appearance. The others also watched as the amber glow that coated the man's body and axe suddenly vanished without so much as a warning.

"But why?" The meek boy turned to Yun for an explanation.

"_Could it be…_?" The gears of his mind churned with great determination as he pondered the situation. The answer abruptly came to him in a realization that flashed into his compilation of memories.

…

"_EX: Power Up!" The man yelled in response. His body and axe were engulfed by strong amber light. A small earthquake traveled through the floors of the classroom. Chao's advance was immediately halted in its tracks as he stumbled around to regain his balance. "My strength'll surpass any mere human. You say a true warrior defends by attacking, have a taste of your own medicine!"_

_That's right! The amber glow was an effect of his EX: Power Up. Instead of a single motion, it strengthens all of his attacks. In exchange, the effects will eventually wear off and the user can no longer make use of it! As long as they remain on equal ground, Chao has a chance to win!_

…

"Go for it, Chao! Victory is right in front of you!" He encouraged.

"Go!" A student from the Shu section cheered.

"Let em' have it Ma Chao!" The other first year students of their dorm joined in an uproar of approval.

Cao Cao silently glared towards the crowd of Shu students who were now on their feet in a rallied support of their comrade. He listened carefully as the Shu boy was practically bombarded with words of encouragement. A look of disgust played on the face of Cao Cao's thuggish enforcer who was forced to endure the ignorance toward his efforts. The two then exchanged glances between one another. Summarily, a slight nod from Cao Cao's direction indicated a message encoded in the complex world of non-verbal communication and was shared only between the two of them.

"Even without my powers, I will still crush you!" Dian Wei retorted.

"Come!" The energy of the crowd brought a small smile to Chao's face. He readied the Silver Stallion for one final pass. The flames of passion trumped over the flames of excruciating pain and propelled his body forward like the current of the wind.

Dian Wei sprinted forward while Ma Chao stumbled along, but their paths brought them to an intersection. The second act had officially ended. Everything that occurred in this spectacular showdown ultimately brought upon the very climax itself.

"Take this, Terror Stun Combo!" Wei brought his axe down with a beastly ferociousness. His sadistic expression foretold of the pain and misery that would be descended upon his opponent.

"Counterattack!" He responded with a supremely timed deflection using the shaft of the Silver Stallion as the shield to protect him from harm. Then, in a circular spinning motion, the blade of Chao's spear sliced across the exposed chest of his opponent. The man's body soared briefly towards the room's ceiling before it landed on the cold hard floor with a loud thud. "This is the end! Move swift like lightning! Fall before the hands of justice! Musou Ranbu! Thunderslice!"

Nothing happened. Dian Wei laughed and returned to his feet with unprecedented ease. All of the energy that Chao had stored for his attack disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. The students fell into a pin-drop silence. Their eyes stared widely, their mouths hung agape. Ma Chao glanced down at his spear and stopped.

"W-What…" Xu Shu began.

"…happened?" Yun inquired.

"Why…?" Chao's body rattled uncontrollably. Drops of tears rolled down his face. The determination in his eyes was sapped in the passing of mere seconds. "Why didn't it work?!"

Unable to stand any longer, or perhaps unwilling, the boy fell to his knees. Another clang could be heard as the Silver Stallion dropped onto the floor by his side. The palms of his hands slammed into the floor at the front of the room. Now on all fours, he wept pathetically at the hopelessness of his position.

"That's right! Surrender your ideals and feel the pain of reality." Dian Wei raised his axe above his head once again, prepared to deliver the final blow. "You are powerless against fate. May the powers of darkness show you your place."

"Ma Chao!"

The curtain of this duel fell with a single swing from his axe. The students saw the dark cloud begin to move, all of its negativity concentrated on Chao's defeated and lifeless body as it slumped into a heap on the ground. Having claimed the loser, the dark cloud finally dissipated from the room. Cao Cao glanced upwards at Yun with a powerful smirk and exited the room with his enforcer in tow.

"Run! Run!" Somebody yelled. The first year class fell into ravage frenzy. Students rushed up the stone layered staircases to the exits at the back of the room. People shoved at one another to escape as quickly as possible. The last noise that exited their mouths was a scream of fright before they too disappeared from sight.

"Ma Chao!"

Yun and Xu Shu were the last to remain in the room. They rushed to the aid of their friend, but it was too late. They now stood over his unmoving body. A deadly cocktail of emotions passed over them. Yet much alike in the manner of which mixing paints creates a black, the mixture of emotions created a twisted combination of anger, sadness, and doubt.


	13. The Fated Rematch!

Yun stared downward at the grimly pale body of his friend and roommate as he had lain in a stiffly rest with the others unfortunate enough to suffer the same fate. Though they had only known each other for just five days, the memories which they created together led to the illusion that they had been friends for years. Those very same memories played themselves over and over again in the boy's mind. Chao's passion for dueling, the pride which he placed in everything he did, Yun thought back to these endearing qualities that he had shown over a short length of time. As he finally decided to rest the Silver Stallion spear softly in his friend's cold and unmoving hands, a surge of discomfort ran through him.

"Chao," Yun paused in order to regather his thoughts. When he closed his eyes, the gruesome images of the previous duel still remained freshly on his mind. He took a deep breath. With a long exhale, he attempted to flush away the burden that latched itself onto his young shoulders. Although hesitant to do so, Yun forced himself to look at what had become of his friend in an utterly miserable state of lifelessness. "…I'm sorry."

Xu Shu stood quietly in the doorway of the Shu Headmasters' room. He listened to his friend sigh longingly for things to return as they were before. Smothered by the guilt of his own inaction, Shu's eyes adverted to the concrete floors of the room. Even the cheerful morning sun beams on his back couldn't ward off the gloominess that controlled his mood. They stood around in an awkward silence for several moments before he brought it upon himself to fully enter the room and stood beside Yun.

"We should be leaving. Class will begin soon" He said.

"Yeah. Let's go." Yun stoically nodded. The two of them departed for the main building. They prepared for what was sure to be the aftermath of gossip from Chao's fight yesterday morning.

…

The door clicked shut. Cao Pi glanced down the hallway outside his room. A small but relieved grin appeared on his face. He proceeded to walk down the empty hallways of the Wei dormitory over to the stairwell nearby. The heel and toe of his polished black dress shoes clicked in its narrow corridors with a travelling echo that filled the void of silence in the air. Once he reached the ground floor, Pi continued towards the dorm's main entrance. His hands grasped at the side by side handles as he prepared to re-enter the world he had spent days hidden from. An image of Yun flashed in his mind and left a feeling of bitter distaste.

"_Mark my words Yun; I will be the one to defeat you!" _He promised himself time and time again. To even utter the wretched name never ceased to anchor his emotions in the negativity that had practically swallowed him whole.

He glanced briefly into his reflection in the glass panes on the door and furrowed his brow with discontent at the face which stared back at him. His mop of black hair was a chaotic mess of loose strands that moved in any direction they desired. His skin was a sickly white with small dark lines of bags that sagged under his eyes. His lips became a dry and cracked crevice that resembled nothing of a maintained lifestyle.

"Young master…" A vaguely familiar voice greeted him with a hint of hopeful earnest in his tone. A pair of large footsteps sounded across the polished marble floor way from behind him. Cao Pi sighed in annoyance and released his grip on the door handles. He slowly turned to face whoever suddenly confronted him at this time.

"What do you want?" The boy asked impatiently. His cold and bitter eyes narrowed pointedly at the sudden intrusion in his path.

"I-It's nothing, young master." Cao Ren lowered his gaze respectfully. He cringed at the venomous tone which the boy seemed to have taken on. "I simply wanted to greet you this morning before you went to class"

"I'm not going to class today." Pi replied with a blatant definitiveness.

"What?" Ren's head jerked upwards at the Wei Headmaster's son. He looked upon the young boy with a nagged concern on his mind. "Why? What about your education?"

"Useless." Cao Pi slowly shook his head and swiveled back around to the doors of the main entrance. "There's someone I've been meaning to settle a score with…"

With that, he turned the doors' handles and rays of sunlight poured through the entrance. Before long, he had disappeared into the distance. Cao Ren continued to stare at the closed doors long after the son of Cao Cao had left the building. The man scratched tentatively at the back of his head as he pondered the boy's impetuousness further.

"_There's someone I've been meaning to settle a score with…"_

In emotion, Cao Pi was unmoved – or at least it appeared to be that way. There was no warmth left in his eyes and no reciprocity in their exchange. It seemed as though he glared intensely at something beyond Ren, like an obstacle that loomed over everything in his path. The obstacle in question, the one which even the son of Cao himself wouldn't deny, could only be the single blemish in an otherwise remarkable reputation. It smeared his beautiful face like a pimple that grows bigger and more disgusting with each passing day.

"He'll be angry and bitter right to the end…" A hoarse voice interrupted Ren's rather fitful ordeal. Its owner could be easily distinguished among the rest.

"Ah, Xiahou Yuan!" The man greeted as he turned to see him approach from the corner of his eye. He was dressed in a sporty blue and grey tracksuit embroidered with the academy crest on the left of his zip-up jacket.

"I can't say I blame him though," Another familiar voice interjected. It was Xiahou Dun who came into view on the opposite side. Unlike Yuan, he was dressed in a black suit with a plum purple collar that was thoroughly complimented by an ocean blue tie. Ren remained rather curious by the two contrasts of style, yet somehow the duo seemed to move along just fine. "There's nothing more insulting to a duelist's pride than defeat."

"Well, you have a point. But…"

"Dun! Yuan! Let's go," Cao Cao suddenly walked past the trio in a hurried manner as he headed towards the main entrance as well. The tone of agitation in his voice was both obvious and most unbecoming of him. "The Headmaster is expecting us…"

"Surely he intends to task us with something tedious and unworthy of our time" Dun bitterly commented which earned himself a sharp glare from Cao Cao. He immediately stifled his tongue from further discourse.

"And, unfortunately, we still have to follow his orders or things will be very hard for us around here" Yuan added with a casual stretch of his arms and the crack of his interlocked knuckles.

"Ren!" Cao Cao turned to address the man. He seemed to hold something carefully in the palm of his gloved hand. "I leave this to you…"

A sealed white envelope whirled through the air like a dart that landed into the tips of Ren's fingers. The contents inside, whatever they could have been, remained nothing short of a mystery.

…

The great, fluffy white clouds sauntered peacefully in the calm skies of the new day. Sun Jian, the Headmaster of Wu, escorted the entire first year class outside of the main building. The students muffled their curiosities, although their desires were evident in the quizzical expressions of their facial features and the whispers that lingered nearby their ears. With the cobblestone walkways as a guide, the group proceeded to move west. Shoulders bumped into shoulders and elbows grazed into other elbows as the tightly-pressed group of various uniformed colour arrays blended within one another in a cultural melting pot.

"Something feels very strange about this" Xu Shu voiced his concern from beside his friend as the duo lagged just behind the rest. Their steps were shiftless and lazy in contrast to the excited, wonder-filled advance of their peers ahead.

"Yeah, I noticed that too." Yun replied glumly. He stuffed his hands into his pockets apathetically as they trudged onward. Their eyes closely analyzed at the back of their peers with a scrutinizing intent. "It seems like they have already forgotten about yesterday"

"Hmm, yes…QUITE indeed!" Another person suddenly entered the conversation. Their tone winded downwards and upwards in a rollercoaster of emotion. It was followed with an exhausted wheeze that only came with the conditions of a tedious and extensive labour. The familiarity in it all caused Yun to pause straight away.

"That voice…" The boy turned around. An unmistakable sight appeared before him in the form of a short, stoutly, hunched back being as it waddled with whatever speed their stubby little legs could allow. Yun's eyes widened in surprise with a slight tinge of worry beneath the surface as the person's true identity dawned upon him. "Pang Tong?!"

"Where's my respect?!" The old man immediately retorted in a childish huff followed by a moment of pause to regain his breath. His irritated glare was just barely visible over the layers of cloth that draped around the rest of his face in a mysterious concealment.

"Sorry, Upperclassman!" Yun quickly bowed before the old man apologetically. He looked into his fierce gaze as the young boy tried to determine whether or not he was appeased by his show of respect.

"Hmph, the audacity of you to refer to me with such a title! Master is much more fitting, don't you think?"

"_Hardly so…_" Yun thought to himself, but it came out in the form of an annoyed groan. The boy bowed once more. He secretly thanked his mind for having gifted him the restraint to do nothing which he may regret. "Forgive me…Master!"

"I suppose you are capable of learning after all" He snidely remarked before he continued his more relaxed gait in the direction of the first year class. Yun mumbled an extended series of dejected grievances under his breath and followed on his tail with Xu Shu firmly in tow.

Somehow, as strange as the thought sounded to the first year boy, it seemed like his second meeting with Pang Tong had developed even more unusually than the first. Inhabiting the body of a harmless old man was a wacky mad scientist with an inflated ego and a definite drinking problem. Yet, as if that was not enough, there was a certain complexity to his character in which he could be both everything and also the complete opposite of what Yun perceived him to be. With him, a flipside always appeared to exist in which he changed his tone like the sun and the moon. That, which is the mystery that has befuddled young Yun up until this point, is the origin of hidden motives. Behind the intricate charade were the answers that have eluded the young boy in his quest for understanding the strange logic behind "Master" Pang Tong's fickle and demeaning attitude.

"Hey!" Yun called out as the two had quickly caught up to the old man in the middle of his lumbered strut. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Tong replied without stopping to meet Yun's eyes. With a mysterious aura about him, he stared towards the class as they seemed to walk entirely away from the three without a care in the world.

"What do you mean?" Xu Shu asked curiously.

"What I mean is…" The old man finally stopped. He returned his attention to the two young men that stood behind him with puzzled looks on their faces. "Wherever you go, go with all your heart."

Just like that, Pang Tong suddenly diverged from their original path without any warning. He calmly wandered into the acres upon acres of lush grasslands on his own, guided by the cane of his wooden staff as his sole support. Yun and Xu Shu halted in their tracks and turned to watch him in his unannounced leave. The duo glanced briefly at each other and exchanged blankly unenlightened shrugs.

"Wait!" Yun extended his right hand to the sage old man as he called his name into the gentle breeze of the morning. The wind caressed his skin and his flowing hair with the kindness of a mother's nurturing hand. "I don't understand what you meant by that!"

Pang Tong's eyes curled upwards in what appeared to be a smile. A decidedly fonder than usual chuckle escaped him this time.

"Always move forward and never stop!" He proceeded to advise the two young boys before he made his final departure without another word.

Further into the fields, his body was veiled by the beams of sunlight that shone over the campus grounds. The sound of his voice soon faded off into the world's vastness, but still the memory of his words lingered behind.

"That guy," Xu Shu smirked in his direction. "He just comes and goes as he pleases"

"_Wherever you go, go with all your heart. Always move forward and never stop…" _Yun repeated those pieces of advice in his head as he pondered the meaning of their existence.

The truth which it conveyed was both staggering and uncanny in that it seemed to have resonated deeply within his heart, like an old memory, yet he was unsure as to how it impacted him so.

"Well, we should probably get moving if we want to catch up to the others" Xu Shu advised in a sort of half shrug, an amused chuckle suddenly burst from his lungs. "See ya there!"

Yun was dragged away from his inner contemplation by the sound of footsteps in a scrape against the cobblestone walkways. The body of Xu Shu sped in a green blur onward to their destination.

"H-Hey! Wait up!" He yelled out as he too broke into a solid stride and chased after his friend.

…

By the end of their brief run, the two boys slowed into a stumble at the finish line. Their backs were bent forward as the duo clutched firmly onto their knees in an attempt of recovery. A thin layer of sweat coated their skin in a light aroma and gripped at the undershirts of their primly pressed uniforms in an uncomfortable constriction. Sounds of excitement carried through the background as they looked upwards long enough to see that they had arrived at the academy stables – a fairly familiar location in their minds.

A large shadow appeared into frame and covered the ground around them in a shrouded darkness. They heard a pair of hefty footsteps as it quickly approached them from nearby. Out of the corner of their eyes, a very large man with a full head of grey hair and a trimmed goatee stepped into view. Immediately they recognized that man to be their teacher for the day.

"Zhao Yun, Xu Shu, I'm glad you could join us!" Sun Jian rejoiced with a warm gaze that exuded the sincerity of his words.

"You know our names?" Xu Shu asked as the two boys were taken a little by surprise at the kindness of the intimidating figure that now stood before them.

"Every friendship starts by knowing the other person's name." The man responded with a small laugh. He then turned his attention towards Yun. "Besides, I don't think there's a single person in this entire country that hasn't heard of you!"

"Am I really that famous?"

"Yes, you are. It's a good thing the academy strictly prohibits outsiders on most occasions, or else you'd never be left alone… and we wouldn't want that now, would we?" Jian playfully winked at Yun and followed with a hearty laughter in response to his own joke. The duo went deadpan and stared at their teacher in silence. Having sensed the unnerving pause in the flow of their conversation, Jian roughly cleared his throat and moved to change subjects. "…Well, today's class is very casual. Help yourselves to any of the activities on hand and enjoy the beautiful day!"

Jian moved on to converse with a group of students as they prepared to mount their respective steeds. This left the two young boys from Shu at a standstill as they gazed with a downward cast at the horses being primed for a casual ride around the stables. Ma Chao's beaming smile came to mind as they remembered the look of pure enjoyment which had always sprung onto his face whenever someone mentioned riding. Had he been here now, Chao would have been downright overjoyed – at least that much Yun could be sure.

Then there were the sounds of clashing metal and the erupted cheers that cried from a distance. It bore a striking resemblance to the calls of a duel. The noise had piqued Yun's interest as he left Xu Shu in his thoughts without another word.

"Yun?" Shu glanced over to see the boy's back as he walked further away from the stables. "Wait! Where are you going?"

…

In a small patch of grass that bridged the gap between the stables and the archery range, Yun and Shu spotted a sizable crowd that gathered attentively in a circular formation. Even as they arrived on the scene, the by standers paid them no heed and continued to hold their eyes at the front of the action. With great delicacy, they snaked through the tiny gaps in the continually dense crowd until they finally advanced to the front. There they witnessed a duel in the midst of its occurrence.

On one side stood a lanky boy with broad ears in a Wu red uniform. Held up right next to his hip was his personal weapon of choice, a large, razor teethed rake that could rip one's skin into shreds. Strangely, his battle stance appeared relaxed and very much alike the posture which one would take on in an everyday situation rather than in the heat of battle. However, the scheming grin that played on his face suggested everything was according to his calculations.

On the other side was a student clad in the standard Wei blue uniform. His buff physique and the stern, intensely focused look on his face made him all the more intimidating. In his hands was a long shafted war trident with menacing edges that glimmered in the sunlight and rallied for the defeat of his enemy. From this alone, it was difficult to determine who truly held the upper hand in this fight.

"That's…Yu Jin! He placed third at the Regional tournament!" Xu Shu mentioned of the boy from Wei by name with a bit of surprise. He had a large amount of fan support from his housemates on the sidelines that cheered him on. "I see he has become quite popular since then…"

"The guy from Wu also seems familiar" Yun stared him down from the sidelines.

"Lu Su." A voice replied as if to answer his question.

"What?"

"His name is Lu Su" Said Sun Ce as the duo soon realized they had coincidentally stood right next to him this entire time. "He's in our class!"

"Is that right?" Yun inquired curiously.

Ce nodded and held his gaze firmly on the crux of the fight which was surely soon to come as the flow of the duel had already dictated. The instinctual reflex in the fellow duelist's bodies resonated with this belief.

"Watch!" Ce excitedly requested of the duo from Shu. "The clever tactics to turnaround any situation!"

"Considering who his opponent is though, there's not much chance he will win…" Xu Shu worriedly postulated. This drew an evident look of annoyance from the young fighter of Wu. Shu buckled from the knees as he scurried for a response to appease his fellow classmate. "I-It's just my opinion, I'm probably wrong anyway!"

Shu nervously laughed himself away, although Ce had already fallen into silence and returned his focus once again to witness the fight.

"I commend the skill you have shown up until now, but this will settle it!" Yu Jin announced as he charged head on at his opponent for the match winning attack. His war trident took to the point and paved his way to Lu Su who stood just a few more feet ahead. "Go! 5-Force Knockout!"

"Earth Barrier! Activate!" Lu Su summoned a large wall made from the materials of the Earth beneath in the form of a shield to protect him from the impending attacks. As a result, Yu Jin's 5-Force Knockout did not connect with its intended target.

"What?!" Yu Jin exclaimed with shock as his trident's attack was deflected away from the wall by a powerful force of physics.

"Earth Barrier?!" Yun vividly recalled the time which the same tactic had posed for him in his duel with Pang Tong. To watch the same technique being employed from the sidelines, however, provided him with a different perspective on the ordeal. At the same time, he grew more and more excited to see how Yu Jin would overcome its nearly impregnable defenses.

"Tch, hiding in defense are we?" Jin muttered with annoyance under his breath. He now stared upwards at the grand fortress before him as it safely protected his cowardly rival from harm.

"No, I've arranged all of the pieces to my victory…" Lu Su gleefully replied.

"What do you mean?!" He shouted back with a tone of panic in his voice.

"My final attack! Earth Tidal Wave!"

Lu Su confidently drove the teeth of his rake deeply into the ground. There was a slight and unnerving pause as he worked to muster up the strength for a counterattack. Yu Jin stood with perplexity on the other side of the barrier, unable to see what had just happened. The ground shook like the rumble of a powerful earthquake as Lu Su's rake exploded upwards from its hiding spot. The other students watched with awe as a wave of dirt was then summoned from the ground. It gained in both size and speed as it targeted none other than the barrier which Lu Su himself had also created.

Like a crashing wave against the banks of a shoreline, the Earth Tidal Wave collided against the gigantic barrier at a remarkable velocity. The impact thoroughly smashed it into a multitude of tiny pieces. Large clusters of dirt were sent into the air and caused a vicious downpour that rained directly over Yu Jin.

"Impossible!" Jin finally yelled with an abject hopelessness before being assaulted by the pain of the energetic shock that tortured his body from the inside and out. Before long, he fell unconsciously to the ground. With that, the duel between the two had come to a close.

"Yu Jin…lost?" One boy of Wei uttered in a state of pure disbelief at the outcome of the match.

"No way! How could a regional finalist lose to a newbie?!" Another voice joined in.

Using the sleeve of his red long-sleeved shirt, Lu Su wiped the sweat from his brow. He acknowledged the crowd of Wu's that gathered around him with a polite and respectful bow as they replied with a round of applause and quiet utterings of admiration. Within that crowd, his eyes spotted the unmistakable sights of Yun, Ce, and the others as they watched his actions with approval. They moved as one to approach him when the crowd eventually dispersed.

"Awesome Lu Su! That duel was exciting!" Sun Ce squealed with delight. The pent up energy inside of him caused Ce to shake uncontrollably with joy like an excited child.

"As usual, your strategies played out perfectly" Zhou Yu was the next to speak. He appeared to be much calmer and composed than his passionate friend.

"Yes, but it is nothing compared to the skill of the nation's number one!" Su turned to Yun with a kind smile and an extended right hand. "I am honoured to make your acquaintance"

"Yeah, likewise" A faint but grim smile curled at his lips as the two boys shook hands.

However soon, his eyes trailed off into the distance. They became blank and emotionless, similar to the looks given from the resting or the dead. He was fixated on nothing and this very fact grew increasingly obvious to those around him. Time passed in a sequence of half-conscious flashes for Yun although it was also a few wordless seconds of nothing in reality.

"Hey! Yun?" Xu Shu waved a hand in front of his unresponsive eyes in wait for signs of life.

"I bet he's just awestruck by your performance!" Ce chimed in with his usual optimism. Perhaps it was intentional on his part, but he seemed to be oblivious to the way which Zhou Yu rolled his eyes at the response.

"That's probably not it…" Zhou Yu shook his head with disappointment

Yun observed the subtle bonds that connected the trio of Wu during their communication. It invoked the images of friendship shared between Yun, Chao, and Shu, which was mimicked by them in many ways. His expression apparently changed more negatively this time as the boy from Wu seemed to mirror his concerns.

"Is something the matter?" Lu Su asked.

"Huh? Uh, no…I was just thinking about something" Yun quickly realized his mistake. Lu Su eyed him questioningly but, to his relief, he decided not to harp on the matter.

"Well, maybe we could talk more over lunch at the Wu dorm tomorrow" He kindly offered at the last moment as Ce and Zhou Yu had already prepared to leave the scene.

"Y-Yeah..."

"See ya later Yun!" Ce expressed his goodbyes and naturally the other two followed him.

…

Later that day, Yun and Xu Shu returned to the Shu dorm. The smell of their dinner wafted through the air as Liu Bei and the co-headmasters worked away in the kitchen and dining area of the cafeteria. There was a chalkboard sign outside that indicated their meal of the night would be a bowl of rice, the news came to them as no surprise. It was likely an attempt by Liu Bei to trick people into thinking that the meals had changed everyday.

Still, with some time left before the dinner meal had commenced, the two decided to return to their room and wait it out. It remained the same dark, cramped, decrepit place they had once occupied during the night. However, now there existed an unfillable void in the arrangement of their triple stacked bunk beds.

"I'm tired…" Xu Shu announced with a long yawn and then proceeded to climb the old, rickety wooden step ladder straight to the top of the beds. He plopped into the bed on his side and closed his eyes for some needed rest. "Wake me up when dinner starts, ok?"

Within just a few moments, Shu had been out like a light. Yun sighed loudly and glanced around the room for something to occupy his mind. There were some stacks of papers and open books of duel theory left on the desk, but he currently lacked the desire to read any of it at the moment. He carefully opened the door into their room and quietly slipped his way outside so to not wake his roommate. He rested his arms on the steel guard rails and leaned over the balcony on the second floor. For a brief moment, Yun just watched and listened to the sounds of birds and the nature that surrounded the Shu dorm as some sort of means of comfort amidst the events.

"It's been a while, Yun…" A low tone beckoned him. From the sound alone, it seemed like it came from directly behind him on the rooftops.

"Who's there?!" Yun jumped in a 180 degree spin. His eyes darted to the source where he laid eyes on him for the first time in several days. A chilled sensation raced through the surface of his skin and paralyzed him in a wave of shock. "You're…It can't be…!"

"Duel with me Yun! If you're a true duelist, take up my challenge and defend your title!" Cao Pi fired back angrily.

"I refuse."

"WHAT?!" He yelled under gritted teeth. Bloodshot eyes stared at Yun with an unstable twitch. The days gone by transformed a once proudly beautiful specimen into a pale, ugly shell of his former self.

"Although I still wish to duel with you, Cao Pi, I'm afraid you are not the same duelist that I fought to the very end once before. For that, I must respectfully decline" Yun calmly explained.

"Hmph, maybe you will listen to reason..." He smirked maliciously at his rival. Yun noticed one of his hands was placed carefully behind his back as though he hid something away secretively.

"What do you mean?"

"This duel, should you decide not to face me, will bring great misfortune to one of your closest friends!" Cao Pi laughed sinisterly. From behind his back, he produced the Silver Stallion spear stolen straight from Chao's unconscious hands. It was something the boy from Shu recognized straight away. How it ended up in his possession remained gravely unknown.

"Wait!"

"Meet me alone at the Academy Southern Walls at midnight tonight…or this," Cao Pi gestured to the priceless Ma family heirloom held precariously in his unpredictable hand. "Will never be seen again."


End file.
